Previously leaked image of a rumored 2.8-inch iPhone touch panel

AT&T (NYSE: T)’s iPhone exclusivity deal, by most accounts, will come to an end in mid-2010. When that happens, iPhone fans hesitant to leave Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s network might finally have a chance to put a Verizon iPhone in their pockets. In fact, according to a new report from OTR Global proves accurate, the iPhone might very well hit the Verizon Wireless network in the third quarter of 2010.

Word on the street has Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) putting in orders to build a batch of iPhones equipped with a new hybrid UMTS/CDMA chip capable of surfing Verizon’s CDMA network as well as the 3G UMTS networks already used by carriers like AT&T. Apple is said to have tapped Asustek subsidiary Pegatron to manufacture the new iPhone, rather than current iPhone manufacturer Hon Hai.

There’s also talk of the hybrid iPhone sporting a smaller 2.8-inch touchscreen. We’d previously seen leak photos showing the 2.8-inch touchscreen panel sitting next to the 3.5-inch panel used on all current iPhone iterations, but we’ve yet to see a smaller-screened iPhone come out of Apple’s R&D labs. Will the rumored hybrid iPhone be the first to hit market with a smaller touchscreen?

At this point, nothing is confirmed. But, with a little luck, we might see Verizon picking up the iPhone in the second half of next year. It’ll be interesting to see how that affects AT&T’s business next year.

The question is – will the prospect of a Verizon iPhone keep you from pulling the trigger on another AT&T iPhone or Verizon’s Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid?

[Via: AppleInsider]

If you’ve been resisting the urge to run out and buy a Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid at a Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless store, we’ve got some good news for you. Wirlefly.com is rewarding your patience with a seriously hot deal on a brand new Droid. How hot, you ask? Wirefly is offering the Droid for $99.99 with new 2-year contract (or contract extension). They also have the HTC Droid Eris on deck for FREE, if the HTC Sense UI is more your style.

For about $100, Wirefly.com will ship a newly activated Droid to your door. There’s no mail-in rebate to deal with and FedEx shipping is included, free of charge. The promotional ad makes it look like the $100 Droid requires new activation on Verizon’s $59.99 monthly rate plan, so we went through the checkout process with Verizon’s lowest-tier $39.99/month rate plan selected. We stopped short of processing payment information, but everything looked good to go with the cheaper rate plan.

The FREE HTC Droid Eris offer seems to be more limited. You’ll have to have an existing Verizon Wireless account and be willing to extend your contract for another two years. And, it seems the contract extension only applies to rate plans of $59.99 or more. On the upside, shipping is free via FedEx.

If you can wait a couple days for your new Droid hardware, you’re going to have a hard time beating these two deals.

$100 Motorola Droid
FREE HTC Droid Eris

We do know Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Google (NSDQ: GOOG) have worked together on the Droid, but still we haven’t thought we’ll see the search giant promoting the smartphone on its homepage, which is known for not carrying any ads at all. There are no doubts in my mind, Google bets heavily on Android and I’m guessing this is their way to show the true iPhone killer is now available, sporting the latest version of Google’s mobile OS – Android 2.0. We’re also unaware whether some cash was exchanged in the process, and considering Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has spent a small fortune for Droid promotion, that also sounds like a viable option.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

Read this Tech Crunch piece in its entirety.

I walked up the Verizon (NYSE: VZ) store no later than 6:20 AM, forty minutes before the 7:00 AM opening time (three hours earlier than usual in light of the big day). But no sooner had I arrived than I began to question my still-groggy mental state. The Verizon sign was directly above my head. There were five or six employees buzzing around the well-lit store, two of whom were decked out in bizarre Droid-branded outfits, complete with black leather vests. But the street could not have been more empty.

The door cracked open. One of the employees, perhaps concerned by my confused expression or excited that someone had actually shown up, had come to talk to me.

A few minutes later I was joined by two new Droid fans. Unfortunately, my excitement over my new friends was rather shortlived — the newcomers turned down my offer of free TechCrunch T-shirts, and informed me that they weren’t actually waiting in line, but had come to witness it for themselves too. As it turned out, they were members of the Android team, who were also apparently let down by the sad turn out.

Droid. Does. Fail.

Update: Some further clarification as to why I posted the above snippet from Tech Crunch. Remember the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre? Remember how everyone fell in love with it in January, and we all eagerly waited for it to come out? First in the USA on Sprint (NYSE: S), then in Germany and the UK on O2 (NYSE: TEF). Look where the Palm Pre is now in November. Hell, look where Palm is right now. The amount of attention the Palm Pre received was outstanding, yet how many Palm Pres do you see out in the wild?

There is no doubt that the Droid is an awesome device. Everyone who has reviewed one has said that it’s the best version of Android to date. The camera sucks, but the polished UI, and let us not forget Google Maps Navigation, are compelling enough reasons to say that the Droid is better than the iPhone. But what actually happened? All the press, from hyper enthusiast gadget sites like us, Engadget and Gizmodo, to main stream coverage from places such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, all amounted to nothing.

No big lines, no big parade, nada, zip. Think we’re going to be talking about the Droid in 6 months? No. We’ll be up to our eye balls in Android 2.0 devices, and in 6 months we may even see a new, better, more hyped up version of Android from either HTC or Motorola (NYSE: MOT).

The reason I posted the snippet above was to point out, and make fun of, people who said the Droid was going to change the status quo. Android is still not awesome enough to be accepted by the masses, but it’s getting there.

Update 2: One more thing, how long do you think it will take for Motorola, or Verizon, to issue a press release saying 1 million units have been sold? How many do you think will be sold over the weekend?

Droid Day has arrived, and there are a lot of people waiting in line to pick up their shiny new Verizon Motorola droid. If you don’t feel like taking to the battlefield, here are some handy links to help you order one online, but even if you’re intent on picking one up today, maybe there’s a brick and mortar store in the list you haven’t checked yet…

• Verizon (NYSE: VZ) – $149.99 if upgrading
• Wal Mart – $149.99
• Best Buy – $199.99
• Wirefly -$149.99
• LetsTalk – $149.99
• Sears – $149.99

Anywhere else y’all have managed to find the droids you were looking for?

P.S.: Most online retailers are providing the $100 mail-in rebate instantly, but be sure to double-check with a live agent to make sure you know what the deal is.

There’s more to the Droid than its high-end spec-sheet and Android 2.0 OS. Turns out, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless is going to let Droid owners use their new smartphone as a 3G modem. But, it’ll cost ‘ya.

In return for allowing you to connect your laptop to your Droid and use its 3G data connection to hop online (tethering), Verizon will ask that you hand over an additional $30 per month – that’s on top of the $30/month data plan that gives you 5GB of data per monthly billing cycle. The tethering option basically doubles the cost ($60) of the Droid data plan, which gives you a total 10GB of data allowance.

The cost might be a bit prohibitive, but at least it’s an option on the Droid. Unlike some other smartphones that we won’t mention by name.

[Via: EngadgetMobile]

The Motorola Droid is live on Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless! Following weeks of hype and impressive TV ads, the highly anticipated Android phone from Motorola (NYSE: MOT) has landed on US shores. Verizon Wireless stores across the country opened for business bright and early this morning to accommodate the masses of Droid hopefuls yearning to be the first of their friends with Verizon’s new smartphone. The midnight launch in Manhattan saw something like 100 people waiting in line for a Droid. The store in Palo Alto, California, said they had a line of about 10 people when they swung their doors open at 7am, and has since been seeing a steady flow of customers coming in with Droid on the brain.

The crowds aren’t bad right now. VZW stores are staffed and ready to serve. It’s not clear how Verizon Wireless will keep up with Droid demand over the weekend, but if it were us, we wouldn’t risk not getting into a store ASAP.

[Update]
Just a quick reminder for all you in NYC considering a Droid purchase today: Verizon Wireless is celebrating its Droid launch with a secret Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert in Manhattan. Droid customers get free tickets today!

Mobile road warriors can attest to the usefulness of 3G modems. It’s empowering to know that you can hop online at anytime, no matter where you are. It gets even better if you can use your 3G modem with a prepaid data plan, like the Broadband2Go plan from Virgin Mobile USA (NYSE: VM). And, it looks like Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless understands the need for prepaid data plans. The No. 1 US wireless carrier (by subscriber count) has just announced a trio of new prepaid data plans for use with the Novatel USB760 3G modem. The plans range from $15 to $50 per month, but don’t expect to get what you pay for.

For $15, customers will get 75MB of data for a single day of service. For $30, Verizon will offer 250MB of data, which can be used over the course of a week. The highest prepaid plan offers 500MB of data for a month, but costs a whopping $50. Compare those prices to the $60 post-paid (contract required) data plan from Verizon, and it’s clear that the prepaid plans are disproportionately expensive. If you compare those prices to Virgin Mobile’s Broadband2Go plans, which offer 100MB for $10, 250MB for $20, 600MB for $40, or 1GB for $60, and Verizon’s new plans look like downright rip-offs.

What justifies the extra cost of Verizon’s prepaid data plans? As far as we can tell, you’re paying more just for the brand-name. Verizon apparently thinks people shop for 3G modems like they shop for designer jeans.

Verizon Wireless will launch the prepaid plans and the Novatel USB760 modem on November 15th via Verizon retail stores. The Novatel USB760 will cost $129.99, and it’s up to you to fill it up with prepaid data.

If you’ve had your eye on the Android-powered HTC Hero and its customized Sense UI, but just couldn’t bear to leave Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s warm embrace for Sprint (NYSE: S)’s network, you’re in luck! Verizon went official this morning with the Hero-esque HTC Droid Eris. The Eris is a lot like the Hero, just for the Verizon Wireless network. And, at just $99, the Droid Eris is the more affordable alternative to both the upcoming Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid and the Sprint HTC Hero. The Eris even sports the same Sense UI that we’ve come to love on the HTC Hero.

The Motorola Droid might be hogging all the hype this week, but the Eris deserves some time in the limelight. So, without further ado, here’s a hands-on look at HTC Droid Eris for Verizon Wireless.

Here’s a quick spec-sheet rundown on the HTC Droid Eris:

• 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen (320×480)
• 5-megapixel camera (with autofocus)
• Android 1.5 OS
• 3G data
• WiFi
• GPS
• 3.5mm headphone jack

Yeesh, Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s been busy: the Motorola droid, the HTC Eris, and now a new BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM). A simple CDMA version of the touchpad-toting Curve currently available on T-Mobile won’t exactly steal the thunder from Verizon’s other announcements, but based on our review of the 8520, the new Curve is a stable, if pared-down, BlackBerry with a few new stylistics twists. Sprint (NYSE: S)’s picking up the 8530 as well, and yes, both have Wi-Fi, a 2 megapixel camera without flash, optical trackpad, and 320 x 240 display like the original, but has the added bonus of 3G over EV-DO. Sometimes I wish BlackBerrys kept their cool codenames, like Aries in this particular case, especially now when there are three distinct families of Curves. In any case, you can sign up for notifications of Sprint’s version, or hold out for Verizon’s which will run $99.99 on contract after rebates, and be available November 20.

[via RIM, BusinessWire]