CES - Cell phones and smartphones

Verizon at CES: No iPhone yet, but 10 first-wave 4G LTE devices

As expected, Verizon unveiled its first 4G devices today--and it used grand language to do so.

"The speed of thought is now the speed of action," a voice boomed over the speakers at the beginning of Verizon's CES press conference. "For the first time, mobile is in real time."

Earlier in the day, Verizon used its keynote to hail its new 4G LTE broadband infrastructure. At the press conference a few hours later, partners including Alcatel-Lucent, HTC, and LG Electronics talked up the endless possibilities of LTE. Then Verizon trotted out new devices that are ready for the network.

But first, let's get this out of the way: Verizon did not announce that it would be carrying Apple's iPhone!

With rock music blaring in the background, Verizon execs stood before a table displaying the first suite of 4G LTE consumer devices: four smartphones, two tablets, two mobile hot spots, and two notebooks, all coming in the first half of the year, and some as early as March.

"It's not just about doing things faster, it's about doing things you couldn't do before," said Marni Walden, chief marketing officer.

The devices that got stage time (details on pricing and rate plans were not announced today) include:… Read more

CES: Verizon finally flashes the HTC Thunderbolt

LAS VEGAS--Verizon and HTC finally took the wraps off the HTC Thunderbolt on Thursday afternoon at CES 2011.

It's the first LTE smartphone for HTC and company CEO Peter Chou described it as "blazingly fast." Details are a bit sparse right now, but we know that it will feature a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4.3-inch WVGA capacitive touch screen, and an 8-megapixel camera with HD video capture.

In addition, the handset will run Android (though which version was not specified) with HTC Sense 2.0, Skype Mobile, Dolby surround sound, and DLNA support.

We'll continue … Read more

CES: Hands-on with the LG Revolution

LAS VEGAS--We managed to get a hands-on with the LG Revolution, which was just announced for Verizon's 4G LTE network.

While we initially thought it was a rejiggered LG Optimus 2X, it's actually not at all like it. It doesn't have the dual-core Tegra 2 processor of the Optimus 2X, and neither does it have the 8-megapixel camera on the back, only a 5-megapixel one. It also feels a tad thicker and rounder than the Optimus 2X, which we'll have a hands-on post about later.

Still, it's a great-looking device. The 4.3-inch display is … Read more

CES: Samsung's 4G Galaxy Tab revealed

LAS VEGAS--On Wednesday, Samsung announced a Wi-Fi version of the Galaxy Tab, but apparently it thinks we can't get enough Galaxy Tab news. It's probably right.

On Thursday the company, along with Verizon Wireless, announced the 4G LTE-enabled Galaxy Tab.

Unlike the Wi-Fi-only Tab, this one gets a significant upgrade in at least a couple of areas. Samsung will upgrade the rear-facing camera from 3 to 5 megapixels.

Also, the CPU gets a slight speed boost, from 1GHz to 1.2GHz, using the same Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor.

Besides those details, the rest of the specs (so far) … Read more

CES: Samsung Smartphone, Mobile Hotspot join Verizon LTE 4G family

LAS VEGAS--Verizon's LTE party just got a little bigger with the addition of the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone.

Debuting on the first official day of CES 2011, the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone is an expansion of the Galaxy S series and features Android 2.2 and a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. It also rocks a HTML 5 Web browser and access to Samsung's Media Hub video store, which should work nicely with Verizon's 4G network.

Other highlights include an 8-megapixel camera and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chats, Swype, and a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus … Read more

Verizon announces LG Revolution to launch with LTE

LAS VEGAS--Verizon has just announced the LG Revolution (VS910), LG's first smartphone to work on Verizon's burgeoning LTE network. We initially thought it was a CDMA cousin of the LG Optimus 2X, but it isn't. It doesn't have the Optimus 2X's dual core Tegra 2 processor, or its 8-megapixel rear camera; it has a 5-megapixel lens instead.

It does have a 4.3-inch TFT touch screen, a 1GHz processor, Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G/LTE mobile hot spot capabilities, DLNA, HDMI, and DVIX compatibility, Bluetooth 2.1, a microSD card slot that can take up to … Read more

CES: Dell Venue smartphone debuts

LAS VEGAS--At its press conference on Thursday, Dell unveiled its new Venue smartphone.

We'll have some hands-on impressions shortly, but here are the initial specs and info.

Dynamic 4.1-inch AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass 8-megapixel camera Runs Android 2.2 and full Flash 10.1 implementation Offers the full Dell Stage interface with Stage widgets

Pricing and availability: details in the coming weeks.

CES: Verizon unveils bevy of 4G devices (live blog)

Editor's note: This live event has concluded, but as expected, Verizon took the stage to unveil a range of new 4G devices, including the LG Revolution, HTC Thunderbolt, and Samsung Smartphone. For a brief rundown of what was announced, check out our summary post here. You can also replay our live blog in the Cover It Live module below.

LAS VEGAS--Verizon Wireless will be hosting a press conference here Thursday afternoon at CES at which it's expected to introduce its first 4G smartphones.

The carrier, which is the largest wireless operator in the U.S. in terms of … Read more

CES: Samsung Suede (video)

LAS VEGAS--Although Cricket Wirless may have postponed its launch of the Muve Music service on the Samsung Suede, we still got to check it out on the CES show floor.

The Suede isn't much of a looker on its own, but it does have basic provisions like a 3-megapixel camera and a microSD card slot. More interesting is the dedicated music button that switches the Suede from phone to music mode. But the monthly music plan is the most noteworthy feature, hands down.

The Suede will cost $199 without a contract, and $55 per month for an unlimited, all-inclusive … Read more