verizon

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will begin rolling onto Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S3 as soon as tomorrow, Verizon announced today on its blog.

The update will occur in phases, so you may have to exercise some patience before you see your OS version start its over-the-air transformation to Android 4.1.

Specific to Verizon, the Jelly Bean update will make the handset global-ready, so customers can add an international roaming plan to use the phone overseas in GSM areas. Verizon is a CDMA network.

Android 4.1 also brings support for Verizon's Isis wallet, a mobile payment collaboration … Read more

Part digital camera, part smartphone, the 4G Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Camera could be the start of a new generation of digital cameras. And as of this week, both Verizon and AT&T sell it.

On the one hand, Samsung could find some advantage in branching into the digital camera realm early before the trend really takes off. On the other, reaching outside its core technologies into new territory could prove a major misstep for the Korean electronics giant.

Touted as the first 4G LTE camera in the world, the Galaxy Camera deserves a bit of attention. With features such … Read more

Redbox said the streaming portion of its Redbox Instant video service, offered in a partnership with Verizon, will cost $6 a month, undercutting key rival Netflix.

The company's primary offering is an $8 a month plan that includes the unlimited video streaming and four one-night credits for DVDs at local kiosks. A plan that includes Blu-Ray discs costs $9 a month, according to a representative for Redbox.

But by pricing its streaming-only service at $6 -- $2 less than Netflix's comparable offer -- RedBox Instant looks to be getting aggressive in taking a chunk out of the paid … Read more

How badly do you want an Android-powered camera that connects to Verizon's network? If the answer is "very," then starting December 13, you'll be able to fork out $550 for the Samsung Galaxy Camera over on Big Red.

Coming in $50 pricier than AT&T's version, Verizon's stab at the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean device offers 4G LTE connectivity, and comes in an exclusive cobalt black shade in addition to white.

Adding the camera to your shared data plan costs just $5 per month, Verizon's least expensive access fee of the … Read more

Verizon Wireless isn't making it easy for loyal, longtime smartphone customers to keep their existing unlimited data plans. And now some subscribers, who are willing to pony up the full price for a new smartphone, worry that Verizon may change its policy again and get rid of the plan for everyone.

Truth be told, few people actually need unlimited data. But for those who do, it's a good deal. In fact, it's such a good deal, these customers worry about losing it. And if you're a Verizon customer who wouldn't worry?

The carrier got rid … Read more

Soon there will be more than just one way to contact 911.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced today that the four largest wireless carriers in the U.S. have agreed to fast track a service that will let people text the emergency 911 line.

AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile have all signed on and major deployments are planned to roll out in 2013 and the service should be fully available nationwide by May 15, 2014.

"Access to 911 must catch up with how consumers communicate in the 21st century -- and today, we are … Read more

It looks like the rumor mill was a little off this time -- Verizon's Redbox Instant won't be launching this month, as was previously speculated but rather in 2013. However, its public beta should be good to go within the next few weeks.

Verizon chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam announced today at an investor conference that after public beta testing the commercial launch of the video streaming and DVD rental service should kick off either at the end of 2013's first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam isn't afraid of his competitors' efforts to raise their game; he welcomes the moves.

"My view is, bring that stuff on," he said during an investor conference today. "I mean, we have got a great network, and I think it will be good for consumers and so it is good for the industry."

McAdam touted the large lead Verizon enjoys when it comes to its 4G LTE deployment, which he credits for the wireless business scooping up market share when it comes to lucrative contract customers. He believes the other national … Read more

AT&T has expanded its LTE network to six more markets.

The company announced today that three U.S. markets -- Albuquerque, N.M., Reading, Penn., and Salt Lake City -- are now able to access its LTE network. Three markets in Puerto Rico -- Guayama, San German-Cabo Rojo, and Yauco -- also now have AT&T's LTE network.

With the new addition, AT&T's network now spans 109 markets and reaches more than 150 million people, the company told CNET in an e-mailed statement.

AT&T has been rapidly rolling out its LTE … Read more