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Android and Me (5 unread)

March 10, 2010
18:07
Skype Mobile coming soon to Verizon Android phones
Later this month every Android phone on Verizon’s network will be able to make and receive unlimited free Skype-to-Skype voice calls. Skype has removed the Skype Lite client from the Android Market so it looks like this is an exclusive deal for Verizon in the United States. We don’t have the installation details yet, but future Verizon smartphones will come with Skype preinstalled.

If you are a Verizon customer interested in using Skype, head over to their official site and sign up for more details.

Users on other carriers can still make free Skype calls over VOIP using Fring.

With Skype mobile on Verizon, you’ll be able to:
- Make and receive unlimited free Skype-to-Skype voice calls to anyone on Skype around the globe
- Call international phone numbers at low rates
- Send and receive instant messages to other Skype users
- See your friends’ online status
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March 11, 2010
4:01
T-Mobile details HSPA+ data plan pricing
T-Mobile USA announced today that their first HSPA+ device, the webConnect Rocket, will be available beginning this Sunday, March 14. Their HSPA+ network offers a home broadband-like experience with a theoretical peak throughput speeds of 21Mbps. Initially, the service will only be available in Philadelphia, but major cities on both coasts will be announced in the coming months.

The webConnect Rocket will retail for $99 (with 2 year contract) or $199 off contract. Customers who pay full price for the Rocket are eligible for the cheaper Even More Plus plans.

The new pricing plans include:

Even More webConnect data plan (two year contract):
- $59.99/mo. for 5GB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
- $29.99/mo. for 200MB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
Even More Plus webConnect data plan (no annual contract):
- $49.99/mo. for 5GB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
- $19.99/mo. for 200MB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
Unlimited nationwide T-Mobile HotSpot WiFi access is included in both plans and doesn’t count toward monthly data usage.

HSPA+ data is capped at 5 GB per month. By comparison, Sprint’s 4G WiMax does not include a data cap for mobile usage.

T-Mobile initially said they would have broad national deployment of HSPA+ by mid 2010, but it is now planned for the end of 2010. T-Mobile recently completed their upgrade to HSPA 7.2 across their entire 3G nationwide network and now they are working to put the necessary backhaul in place to support these faster speeds.

Keep in mind that all current T-Mobile Android phones support HSPA 7.2 which is compatible with the newer HSPA+ standard. We expect T-Mobile will have an Android handset with HSPA+ support by the end of this year.
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16:15
New Verizon HTC Incredible pics and specs
We recently posted some pictures of an early HTC Incredible prototype and now a newer, more final design has appeared. The bright red battery cover is now a matte black, but the insides have retained the red coloring (see pic below). We saw HTC do this for the HD Mini (yellow insides) so this looks like a new trend for HTC.

The specs have also been refreshed since we last saw the device. The Snapdragon processor has been underclocked to 768 MHz (presumably to save battery), but the RAM has doubled to 512 MB (just like the N1). Also getting a bump is the camera which now features 8 megapixels instead of 5.

No other sites have reported this, but I’ve been told we should expect to see the Incredible on another CDMA carrier besides Verizon. The phone is expected to be announced during CTIA and be released sometime before summer.

Update: The good thing about posting rumors is someone always calls you out on your mistakes. Apparently the Incredible is very near to release and several production models are floating around. You can still consider this a “rumor” but I’ve been told the RAM and ROM both received a significant boost. Early prototypes included only 256 MB RAM, but the latest revision has 1 GB RAM (just like the rumored Supersonic). I’ve also been told the CPU will do 1 GHz, but it throttles up and down just like every other Android phone.

Rumored specs of the HTC Incredible include:
- 768 MHz 1 GHz Snapdragon processor QSD8650
- 3.7 inch AMOLED screen WVGA resolution
- 512 MB ROM 6 GB ROM, 512 MB RAM 1 GB RAM
- 8 MP camera with dual LED flash and AF
- Android 2.1 with Sense UI
- Optical track pad
- 1300 mAh battery
- Shipping with 8GB MicroSDHC card
- FM Tuner
- Dimensions: 117.5 mm (L) x 58.5 mm (w) x 11.9 mm (T)
The back of the Incredible is now black.
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17:01
Poor man’s Nexus One headed to India?
Consider this a complete rumor, but Techtree is reporting that Google might be working on a “scaled down” version of the Nexus One for new markets like India. They claim this new device will be slimmer than the N1 and speculate the camera and internal memory specs will be reduced.

I’m having a hard time believing the source, but we know Google will be introducing more models in their phone store and adding more carriers later this year. For all we know, they could be talking about a modded version of the HTC Legend that would include stock Android instead of Sense UI.

Google’s Eric Tseng is leading a panel next week to discuss the Nexus One strategy so maybe we will learn more soon.

[Thanks Ajay for the tip]
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18:22
No Verizon 4G handsets till summer 2011
Sprint is releasing their first 4G handset this summer, but Verizon just announced they are waiting till 2011 (when their LTE network will be more built out). Verizon recently completed LTE trials in Boston and Seattle and expects to roll out 4G speeds to 25-30 markets by year’s end.

In their 4G LTE tests, Verizon reported 40-50 Mbps downstream and 20-25 Mbps up. Those are the fastest mobile speeds we have seen from any U.S. carrier, but real world performance is going to be less than that. Verizon maintains that their LTE network will be able to produce average download speeds of 5-12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2-5 Mbps.

It looks like most carriers’ 4G networks will provide speeds around the same ballpark so coverage area is going to be key.

By the end of 2010, we expect the 4G coverage to look like this:
- AT&T 4G (LTE): LTE trials in late 2010, deployment in 2011
- Sprint 4G (WiMax): 120 million
- T-Mobile “4G” (HSPA+): 206 million (Note: T-Mobile has not confirmed they will call their HSPA+ network 4G)
- Verizon 4G (LTE): 100 million (will double in 2011)
Unfortunately, it looks like Verizon will be moving to tiered data pricing by the time LTE is available. Verizon’s CTO Anthony Melone hinted at this when he told the Wall Street journal, “as much data as you can consume is the big issue that has to change.”

T-Mobile will have the largest “4G” coverage this year, so we expect they will have a HSPA+ handset to take advantage of it. They will offer their first HSPA+ device, the webConnect Rocket USB modem, starting this Sunday.

If you had to pick a new carrier today and were basing your decision only on getting a 4G handset, which one would you choose?
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