It’s not just Sprint that’s working on improving its wireless network. Verizon seems eager to get its 100Mbps FIOS network out next year. The Network has tested the FIOS this year despite admitting that the 100Mbps speed was more of a marketing strategy than an actual possibility.

But now Verizon might launch the 100Mbps service. Comcast is working on their DOCSIS 3.0 50Mbps which means Verizon has to keep up with the competition. Here’s what Verizon had to say in the first place about the 100Mbps:

A lot of these different TVs will have inordinate demand on the bandwidth that is required on the network in order to support them. In some cases, the requirements will be much greater than 100 Mb/s to the customer. In parallel to that, a number of TVs, a number of DVRs and network storage devices in the home will increase individual demand from customers on the network.

But then Verizon slightly corrected itself:

Verizon expects to have its delivery processes for speeds like that locked down in 2009 so that service with speeds approaching 100 Mb/s would be enabled in the very near future. We have no product ready to announce for deployment in 2009.

So Verizon will either launch a new product in 2009 or not. Pretty simple right? How much will the FIOS service cost in the eventuality it will be released? The current 50Mbps offer is priced at $144.95 without the phone service and it costs $139.95 if you also choose the Verizon’s phone service.

via dsireports

We all know the semi-problematic release of the BlackBerry Storm. Verizon had to solve various issues on the spot or on the go. You might remember the leaked OS version from a few days ago, which was reported to work fine on the Storm. Well Vodafone customers weren’t that lucky and they had to wait for Vodafone Germany to deliver the official release of the software update for the Storm.

Look for OS 4.7.0.78 if you happen to own a Vodafone Storm. It’s said to fix the accelerometer lag and touchscreen accuracy. If you happen to get it, tell us how it is.

via Vodafone.de

BlackBerry Storm owners should be happy to know that the firmware update they have been waiting is out there. Firmware 4.7.0.75 has not been officially released to the masses yet but it has been leaked. More people have gotten it and it looks like the update works fine so far. Let’s see if RIM confirms this firmware and if they have a different version ready to release.

via CrackBerry

The iPhone and its 3G successor have been cracked. So did the G1 and lots of other phones. But has the Storm been cracked already?

It looks like someone has done that already using a SIM unlock code from Verizon. Then the Storm was given some Bold software and therefore it was used in T-Mobile’s GSM network. That means the Storm can be used with T-Mobile’s 2G voice network and with Verizon’s 3G data network.

I dare to say the Storm hasn’t been really unlocked yet. We’re still waiting for a different version.

via SlashGear

The Storm has some OS problems and there’s no way to deny that. That’s OS v4.7.0.65 if you are wondering. Luckily a firmware update is scheduled for early December, which means that some of your problems might be solved. Will Verizon and RIM be able to fix everything eventually?

The first OTA update - Maintenance Release 1 - will arrive in the first week of December. Here are some of the issues that will be initially fixed:

If a customer receives a call while listen to music at low volume using a wired headset, the music volume may suddenly increase to the highest level (!). Interim recovery instructions: Lower the volume using the buttons on the side of the handset.

When using voice-activated dialing, incoming audio may be muted. Interim recovery instructions: Enter the menu and select “Activate Handset or Speaker”.

The handset may reset itself while sitting idle or while using multimedia applications. No interim recovery instructions provided.

A future Maintenance Release should also take care about the following problems:

Customers may intermittently lose email connectivity via CDMA and/or international roaming modes. Interim recovery instructions: Main menu -> Manage Connections -> Select mobile network -> Turn radio off, then Turn radio on. If this does not resolve the issue, pull the battery.

When powering on the handset, the radio sometimes does not turn on. Interim recovery instructions: Main menu -> Manage Connections -> Select mobile network -> Turn radio on. If this does not resolve the issue, pull the battery.

Pressing the send key while the device is in landscape mode will open the phone application in portrait mode, but the speed dial function may not work. Interim recovery instructions: Press escape until the home screen appears, then press the send key with the handset in portrait orientation.

Sometimes entering characters on the virtual keyboard doesn’t work. Interim recovery instructions: Re-select the character.

What’s your Storm experience? Come on, don’t be shy! Tell us all about it!

via BGR

Well people, just hold on to your horses people. The Storm is available online for now. By available we mean same price, same specs, but a later shipment. Verizon suggested a weird ship date, December 15th. Weird ha? That’s what the people with giant forks and tranquilizers guns marching to The Network’s headquarters said too. And Verizon quickly managed to renegotiate the waiting time. You will get the Storm on December 8th if you order it online now. Otherwise get back in that line in front of the store!

Verizon Wireless is on a hot roll right now. The Storm is out and we’ve seen the HTC Touch Pro available from Verizon’s online store. The next smartphone in line is Samsung Omnia. We suspected it was coming and now we know it for sure. The Omnia will be released online and via telesales starting with November 26th and it will be available in store startint with December 8th. The Omnia will cost just $249 after a $70 mail-in rebate with a regular two years contract.

via Verizon

Did you manage to get your Storm these days or are you still waiting for that to happen? Either way you must be curios about how the whole haptic feedback works right?

Well some other curios people got their Storm and then they tore it apart to see how it works. Behind the touchscreen there’s a single microswitch ready to be pressed whenever you press the screen. Basically there’s a whole big button which reacts whenever you press certain areas of the screen. Nothing out of the ordinary here right?

via phonewreck

The Storm isn’t the only hot phone available from Verizon Wireless these days. Come to think of it you’re more likely to find an HTC Touch Pro than a Storm these days.

The Touch Pro is available on Verizon’s website and that’s where you can order one. It’s a little more expensive than Sprint’s or AT&T’s:

• $349 after a $70 MIR and 2-year contract
• $419 after $70 MIR and a 1-year contract
• $539 with no contract

Luckily customers eligible for an NE2 upgrade can get an additional $50 to $100 off those prices. So what do you think? What shall it be? A Storm or an HTC?

via Verizon

As I had been expecting, the latest Blackberry model, coming into the world to defy Phonejesus iPhone, hasn’t remained long enough on the store shelves to gather any dust. Verizon hasn’t yet officially announced anything regarding the exact Storm sales figures but they’ve must have done pretty good.

Unfortunately for those who didn’t get to a Verizon Store in time but still want one, I’ve got some bad news! Shipments are being delayed until December 15th.

via engadgetmobile

The Blackberry Storm is instantly disappearing from Verizon stores everywhere. And Verizon is having quite a hard time keeping up with the demand. The Storm is available in stores now for $199.00 with a plan. What do you think happened if the latest Blackberry were available for $99.99?

Apparently the online retailer letstalk.com is going to sell it out there for the bargain price of $99.99.

I guess the plan is to sell a lots of units over the holiday season. You would have to pay $69.99 per month for the following two years, but hey, it must be all worth it. You should also know the whole $99.99 deal starts on December 2nd.

via BlackBerry News

In case you want to avoid those lines at Verizon Wireless stores, go online and check out the official page of the BlackBerry 9530 Storm. It’s available for the same $199.99 after mail-in rebate and with a contract. I’d be curious on that stock supply. Would we be better off ordering online or should we get a sleeping bag ready in front of a Verizon store? What was your experience when you purchased your Storm today?

Verizon via BR

If you happen to work for any cell phone carrier don’t assume you can simply go through anyone’s cellphone accounts whenever you feel like it. And if you happen to stumble upon Barack Obama’s records, simply kill your urge to take a look. It will get you fired! That’s what happened to some Verizon employees which looked at the personal cellphone accounts of the latest President-Elect. And they got canned for it. Here’s what Lowel McAdam, Verizon Wireless President and CEO had to say about the whole thing:

This week we learned that a number of Verizon Wireless employees have, without authorization, accessed and viewed President-Elect Barack Obama’s personal cell phone account. The account has been inactive for several months. The device on the account was a simple voice flip-phone, not a BlackBerry or other smartphone designed for e-mail or other data services.

All employees who have accessed the account – whether authorized or not – have been put on immediate leave, with pay. As the circumstances of each individual employee’s access to the account are determined, the company will take appropriate actions. Employees with legitimate business needs for access will be returned to their positions, while employees who have accessed the account improperly and without legitimate business justification will face appropriate disciplinary action.

We apologize to President-Elect Obama and will work to keep the trust our customers place in us every day.

Today is the day Verizon subscribers, and not only, were waiting for. It’s the day when the BlackBerry Storm gets released. How will it be? Well for now it looks like Verizon stores have lines with more people in them than the Storm stocks. But we already knew that right?

iPhone 3G launch deja vu? The phone wasn’t available for days at AT&T and Apple stores and that’s what’s going to happen to Storm too. If you happen to spot irregularities in the whole process do tell us. Until know we’ve heard how certain stores deliver Storms only to new customers which is totally not cool!

Does Verizon have enough Storms stacked all around their stores starting tomorrow? Are we going to see iPhone-like-queues in front of Verizon’s establishments across the USA? Well it looks like that. People are saying that Verizon might have a problem in shipping all those Storms to its stores. And it’s not because there aren’t enough Storms to go around but because of a tiny OS security flaw which made Verizon re-flash the handsets.

Here are some hints suggesting that the new Berry will be a rarity in stores the following days. A Verizon Corporate store was promised 100 units on launch day but it will only be getting 20 today, 40 tomorrow and 40 on Saturday. Is this what’s going to happen to all stores? Will Verizon spread out the stock? Unofficially that looks to be the case. Best Buy might even delay its Verizon launch as Verizon will surely send Storms to its stores first. We’ll see how this whole situation evolves in the near future.

via BGR

In case you didn’t know it by now, Verizon is selling the BlackBerry Storm starting this week. And in case you didn’t know it by now, The Network has a BlackBerry Storm Private Sale going on for you. The Private Sale was supposed to go on from November 17th to November 21st. The only problem seems to be that there aren’t any Storms to go for. No Storms in the stores, no demo Storms and no good customer service. The only thing Verizon could do for you is to put you on a pre-order waiting list for Friday. What do you think? Is this all a mistake or Verizon messed up this time?

The HTC Touch Diamond was supposed to be available from Verizon in October. Then people said December is the month when Verizon’s subscribers will get. Well it looks like Verizon will delay it even more. January or sometime next year, that’s when you will be able to get the Diamond. Or so the latest rumors say. We’re hoping these rumors are false and that you’ll be able to order one from Santa this December. And in case they do turn out to be true, then you can simply get a different smartphone this season. Maybe a whole Storm?

thx Trevor

FunMobility today launched a new service for Verizon Wireless, more specifically America’s Best Mobile Flix, also known as aFLIX. This is the first mobile social network and video sharing service for Verizon customers.

Thanks to the video cameras that most mobile phones have, users can upload & share their own content and upload it online to the desired category, be it comedy, crazy pets, kids, or others. Like it happens in any other social network, users are able to create their own profile and interact with others by commenting, rating, and reviewing videos. Obviously, all these tasks can be done directly on a cellphone.

FunMobility already has aPix which is a photo sharing service, so I guess they are complete with the video service aFLIX, that can be downloaded and costs $5 per subscription.

FunMobility

Samsung Renown is the latest cellphone recently presented by Verizon Wireless, which will hit the online market on November 19, and the stores on the 1st of December.

The handset sports a 2-megapixel camera with special features, like a NightShot mode so you can have some sessions of photography or video recording at night. The multimedia department has the Verizon Wireless VCAST Music with Rhapsody so users can easily listen and download MP3 files, and a VCAST Video service to download the latest news about sports, entertainment, and more.

The Storm is not the only hot thing happening at Verizon. The largest U.S. carrier, counting Alltel subscribers too, has big plans for the following period. During 11/16/08 through 1/31/09 we’re going to see lots of Verizon handsets at discount prices.

LG VX8360 (clamshell with EV-DO, 1.3MP camera, stereo Bluetooth, microSD)

LG XV9600 (basically a Dare with a detachable QWERTY keyboard and a game-pad)

Nokia 2605 Mirage (small clamshell with 1xRTT, VGA Camera, and Bluetooth)

Nokia 7205 Intrigue (small clamshell with 1x/EV-DO, 2MP Camera, Bluetooth)

Samsung Renown (clamshell with CDMA and Quad-band GSM, similar to the Gleam)

Samsung Saga i770

Samsung Omnia

HTC Touch Pro/XV6850

USB760 (super small USB EV-DO Rev A “micro” Modem)

Compass 597 (USB modem with aGPS)

CDM8950/CDM8975 (unknown?)

Depending on what handset you choose you will save from $50 to $70 but you will probably have to sign a new contract. What do you think? Would you get any of these handsets or will you go for the Storm instead?