NFL Mobile Coming to Verizon Next Month March 10, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, sports , add a comment
NFL RedZone– coming soon to Verizon Wireless
We know, it’s March. All our focus should be on Selection Sunday next week and March Madness (and baseball, for those who only care about the pros) and not so much on football for the next couple of months, with football taking a seat in the way back. (And don’t worry, we’re gonna have a lot of ways for you to use tech to keep up with both March Madness and the MLB season very soon).
Today, however, we’re gonna keep the focus on the NFL– as what Verizon and the NFL announced today is pretty sick for all you Verizon users out there. Not only will you guys soon get exclusive Skype, but for the next 4 years (at least, according to the Wall Street Journal) you will soon be getting exclusive access to the NFL Mobile. Starting next month with the NFL Draft, Verizon users will not only be able to follow live on their phones (we’re talking live video, not just an ESPN livecast), but also will have access to on-demand video of NFL Network analysis of the Draft, pick-by-pick Draft tracker updated in real time, and in-depth prospect profiles, blogs, news and more.
And come next season, users will be able to not only watch Sunday and Thursday night games, NFL RedZone, and the NFL Network live from your phones, but also game highlights and an extensive collection of on-demand video featuring analysis and inside access from NFL Network and NFL Films, live radio broadcasts of every regular season and playoff game from both home and away teams, access to fantasy information, news, and player and team statistics, and customizable NFL alerts, ringtones and graphics.
All I can say, if your a football fan on Verizon, than today truly is your lucky day. We’re not yet sure exactly which phones will get the app or how much the app will cost (which again, is a Verizon exclusive, so sadly all you Sprint users that had the NFL Mobile Live app look to be out of luck now), but hopefully we’ll know more info before April 22nd.
In the meantime, who you think goes number one next month?
Inside Out: The Future of the Cell Phone February 21, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Opinion , 3commentsFrom time to time, we’ll provide our thoughts as to where we think the industry is going, particularly as it relates to teens. We’re calling these posts, Inside Out, because we’ll be looking from where we sit into the outside world.
The future of the cell phone: the Windows Phone 7 Series, iPhone 3GS, BlackBerry Curve 8530, Palm Pre Plus and the Nexus One
Cell phones. We live by them. They’re by our sides 24/7, wherever we are. They are our ways of connecting with the world, through texts, IM’s, or just regular calls. Getting a new one is no longer just picking up a free phone, it’s a choice of style and design. Do we want a full keyboard, something that has a good camera and music player, a simple phone that doesn’t cost much, or something completely loaded with all of the latest features? The choices are endless, no matter what carrier you’re on– Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile.
But recently there’s been a major shift in the cell phone market, led by new phones like the iPhone, Pre, BlackBerry, Droid and Nexus One. This is the rise of the smartphone (as those phones are called), phones that no longer just do texts but also email, internet, Facebook and Twitter. These phones are growing rapidly and more and more of us are switching to them when we look for new phones. Let’s take a look at why that is and where this is all leading.
Skype and Verizon Join Forces to Bring Skype to Verizon Smartphones February 17, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Mobile World Congress , 1 comment so far
At first you might not think so, but this recent announcement at the Mobile World Congress is BIG news. Today, Skype and Verizon announced a new partnership and smartphone app that will allow Verizon users to chat– both through Skype IM AND through calling– to Skype users around the world. The free app, which will come in late March, will be available on the BlackBerry (models Curve 8830, Storm 1 and 2, Tour, Curve 8330 and Curve 8530), as well as the Android-running Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Eris, and the upcoming Motorola Devour (a phone we’ll have more on soon–think of as less powerful Droid with full keyboard and MOTOBLUR).
The name of the app is Skype Mobile and is an “always-on app,” meaning that it will constantly running in the background. Now here’s the big part of this partnership– the calls made on Skype Mobile are made over Verizon 3G data network and will NOT use your minutes. This is huge in multiple ways– 1) for those close to running over minutes and have one of these phones, you can use this to help keep you from running over. 2) Not only do Verizon users have unlimited calling to the 90 million customers on their carrier, but now they now can also call the 500+ million Skype users, even if those users are online internationally!
Now you will need a data plan to use Skype Mobile (though since the application is only for smartphones, and that Verizon requires data plans for all the phones mentioned above, we don’t see this as much of a problem), and yes, AT&T has recently approved a Skype iPhone app that also allows calls over 3G and not just WiFi (which by the way, this app won’t be able to do)– but this is still definitely a big win for Verizon users if for no other reason than that Verizon is finally opening up their network for Skype and hopefully other services in the very near future.
Via Verizon Wireless and Skype
BlackBerry Tour2 Spotted– New Trackpad and All December 24, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Rumors , 1 comment so far
The BlackBerry Tour2, on left, next to the original BlackBerry Tour
Sprint and Verizon BlackBerry lovers listen up (and those who got the first BlackBerry Tour, you may wanna look away from this), as we got some news for you on a new version of the popular BlackBerry Tour. The Boy Genius Report has posted a brief first look and some pix of an all new BlackBerry Tour2 9560 (not sure if that a final name for the device), that looks to take everything that’s great about the first Tour, and well you know, make it even better.
So what’s better in this new Tour? A few things according to BGR a faster processor t0 make everything faster (always good), WiFi (this is great considering it was one of the biggest downsides of the first Tour), and of course that all new trackpad found on all the latest and greatest BlackBerrys. The keyboard is of course nothing short of the great keyboards BlackBerry is known, and the size is said to be about equal to that of the first Tour (meaning it should be more than comfortable to carry around in your pocket).
This is a solid update to the Tour line, and we’ll of course keep you updated as more info comes out on this new BlackBerry– but what you think possible Tour owners, you willing to hold off on that new holiday Tour for a Tour2 and willing to hold off for this to come to your carrier (said to be coming to Sprint and Verizon probably sometime next year)?
Pix and info from Boy Genius Report
New Blackberry, Chocolate, Android, and Other Phones Come to Verizon November 7, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , 1 comment so far
Wow– we thought Verizon would slow up on the new products for a little bit after it just announced and released one the biggest phones of the year last week, the Motorola Droid. But we were dead wrong (I mean the Droid just launched yesterday!). The other day, Verizon took the wraps off 4 new phones for the holiday and there seems to be something for everyone. We’re talking new BlackBerry Curve, new LG Chocolate phone, new Samsung phone specially designed to withstand being dropped or spilled upon, and another Android phone– the HTC Droid Eris (Verizon’s version of the HTC Hero).
While none of these are as powerful as the Motorola Droid, there is still some sick stuff here that you’d definitely want to know about– so what you waiting for, hit the more link and get to it!
Verizon Officially Announces the Motorola Droid October 28, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Google , add a comment
Watch out because here comes the Droid
Verizon users, today is your lucky day. Verizon , Google and Motorola have officially announced that one of the sickest phones of the year is coming to you– and very soon. Yup, the Droid is officially coming to Verizon, and brings some new Android 2.0 awesomeness that should make more companies than Apple a little nervous.
What is the Motorola Droid? October 23, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Google , 2comments[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYM-XTqcec]
If you’ve been watching any TV over the last few days (or any of the amazing Yanks-Angels series), you’ve probably been seeing the above commercial pretty often. This Motorola/Verizon commercial seems to be poking a lot of fun at what the iPhone lacks: a keyboard, a 5 megapixel camera, flash, multitasking, customization, widgets, and removable battery.
This all done in a very iPhone-like ad, the black text on white background and with chilled, fun music in the background. Though the end of the commercial says little of what their new device, the Droid, does or even looks like, other than that you should look forward to November. Well, if you don’t want to wait that long to learn about this exciting new phone, we have all the info and pix right here, and Verizon users– this one’s definitely for you.
Verizon BlackBerry Storm 2 Reviews Leak Out… Launch Coming Soon? (UPDATE: It's official from Verizon) October 17, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
The Verizon BlackBerry Storm2 (pic from CNET)
Remember the BlackBerry Storm 2– the easy-to-use touchscreen BlackBerry we all were hoping for when the original Storm came out? Yeah, we know it looks awesome, and over the past few days reviews on the phone have been popping up all over the internet, even though Verizon hasn’t yet officially confirmed the phone’s upcoming release (though don’t worry Verizon BlackBerry users, it is).
UPDATE 10/26: Verizon confirmed today that the Storm2 will be launching this Wednesday, October 28th, for $179.99 on a new 2 year contract and after an $100 mail in rebate. It’ll also be launching with BlackBerry OS 5.0 which brings a lot of updates like a better browser and better typing. The OS 5.0 update is also available now for original Storm owners, which should help make the first Storm much easier to use).