Crave

LG VX9400

(Credit: LG)

Just last week, Crave was in a bit of fix over the launch of V Cast TV from Verizon Wireless. Though we were excited to see the service take off, we couldn't help but bemoan the fact that only the Samsung SCH-U620 was supported at launch. It's not that the SCH-U20 was particularly bad, but rather that the other V Cast TV phone, the LG VX9400, was especially good. Not only did the quality look better on the VX9400, but we also loved the nifty swivel design of the ample display. Now, thanks to an anonymous tipster, Engadget Mobile is reporting that the VX9400 will launch March 23. Pricing seems quite fair: From $200 with a two-year contract to up to $450 if you pay full price. Verizon is mum on the subject, but we'd welcome any news on the phone, even if it isn't verified. Of course, there is the problem that the San Francisco Bay Area isn't a V Cast TV launch market, but stop trying to kill our buzz.

Sure, everyone knew this was coming but Verizon Wireless formally switched on its new V Cast TV network today in 20 markets. As we told you earlier this week, the lucky locales for the Media Flo-powered service are concentrated mostly in the Midwest and West with Jacksonville, Fla., and Norfolk/Richmond, Va., being the sole outposts on the East Coast. The full list includes Tucson, Ariz.; Palm Springs, Calif.; Denver/Boulder and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Chicago, Ill.; Wichita, Kan.; New Orleans, La.; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.; St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo.; Omaha/Lincoln Neb.; Albuquerque/Santa Fe, N.M.; Portland, Ore.; Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle/Tacoma and Spokane, Wash. Las Vegas also is on the list, which is not surprising, considering V Cast made its formal debut there earlier this year at CES.

Samsung SCH-U620

(Credit: Samsung)

According to Engadget, coverage is planned for New York City, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, but Verizon isn't confirming when those cities will get it. And, as was the case with Verizon's initial 3G V Cast rollout, the San Francisco Bay Area is nowhere on the list. We're not thrilled about waiting again, but as Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson told Wireless Week the carrier needs to clear more 700MHz spectrum, which V Cast TV uses.

LG VX9400

(Credit: LG)

Though Verizon showed two supported devices at CES--the Samsung SCH-U620 Mobi and the LG VX9400--only the Samsung model will be available for now. That's a bit disappointing as we liked the VX4900 better. What's more, we have no clear idea when the VX9400 will launch. As for programming, the eight launch channels include MTV, Nickelodeon, Fox Mobile, Comedy Central, NBC, ESPN, CBS Mobile, and NBC News.

Pricing plans include three options at start and they're more varied than we expected originally. The $25 per month Select plan gives you all eight V Cast TV Channels and the V Cast Pack service, which includes unlimited streamed video clips from the V Cast service, access to the carrier's mobile Web 2.0 application, and unlimited data and e-mail. The Basic $15 per month includes only the eight V cast TV channels (V Cast content is extra), while the $13 per month limited package gives you just four channels: Fox Mobile NBC, NBC News, and CBS Mobile.

Samsung SCH-U620 Mobi

(Credit: Samsung)

The tech sites are buzzing with loads of Verizon Wireless dish today. First and foremost, it's now almost certain that Verizon's V Cast TV is aiming for a March 1 launch date. That's a bit sooner than we expected (Verizon originally said near the end of March) so it's very good news indeed. If you remember, V Cast so wowed us at CES that we chose it as our best in show pick for the cell phone category.

Though Verizon showed two V Cast TV phones at CES--the LG VX9400 and the Samsung SCH-U620 (aka the Mobi)--it appears the Mobi will launch first. That's a bit disappointing as we were partial to the LG handset but we're still eager to give the Mobi a formal review nonetheless. My: Tech News blog found the Mobi on Verizon's Testman Web site earlier today but we were unable to locate it when we looked. But in any case, the Testman site has always been a reliable indicator of what will be in Verizon stores soon. The Mobi should cost a reasonable $149.99 with a two-year contract, but we're still waiting on exact pricing details for the TV service.

Samsung SCH-U340

(Credit: Mobiledia)

Nokia 6265i

(Credit: Nokia)

Also in Verizon land, a sharp-eyed Crave reader told us he sighted the Nokia 6265i on a Yahoo.com page. Though Verizon has yet to announce the phone, Yahoo lists it as "coming soon" for the carrier (it's available already with MetroPCS). On the other hand, Verizon has launched the low-end Samsung SCH-U340. Armed with a VGA camera, a speakerphone, and a simple flip phone design, the SCH-U340 is free with service.

Thanks Austin and Trevor

Motorola Razr Maxx Ve

(Credit: Howard Forums)

We know the HSDPA Motorola Razr V3xx is coming to AT&T/Cingular but we still haven't heard anything regarding U.S. carrier availability on the equally powerful Motorola Razr Maxx. And that's too bad as the Razr Maxx promises to be the most appealing Razr to date.

But now it appears we may get our wish, just in a different form. Howard Forums has published marketing photos of a promised EV-DO variant of the phone, the Maxx Ve for Verizon Wireless. Details are sketchy at this point but it's rumored the Maxx Ve will offer a 2-megapixel camera and a microSD card slot. V Cast video and music support should be onboard as well but apparently it won't be compatible with Verizon's new V Cast TV.

Samsung SCH-U620

(Credit: Samsung)

Though the iPhone announcement at Macworld completely trumped any cell phone news at CES, we did mange to find a few gems in Las Vegas. In fact, we liked Verizon's V Cast TV so much that we chose it as our pick for CNET's Best of CES in the cell phones category. The sharpness of the picture quality did wow us, and the supported handsets--the LG VX9400 and the Samsung SCH-U620--were pretty cool in their own right.

LG VX9400

(Credit: LG)

Now, of course, we have to wait until March for the service to launch. But even when it arrives, there's no telling whether San Francisco will be on the first list. Engadget is reporting that Minneapolis, Chicago, and Kansas City will be launch cities but that's all we know at this time. That, and it will cost $15 a month--and Verizon will have an exclusive on the service through October.

V Cast Mobile TV

(Credit: Verizon Wireless)

Just as everyone suspected, Verizon Wireless is bringing programming from the small screen to an even smaller screen with today's announcement of V Cast Mobile TV. At a multimedia-filled event at the hip Palms Hotel, Verizon execs unveiled the service and the two phones that will support it.

As we told you earlier today, V Cast Mobile TV will bring live full-length television programming to selected handsets via Qualcomm's MediaFlo technology. The service is set to launch by the end of March and will offer eight channels of programming available including CBS, NBC, MTV, Fox, and ESPN. Verizon did not announce pricing at the event but it's known that V Cast Mobile TV will be an additional monthly fee beyond the base $15 per month for V Cast streaming video.

LG VX9400

(Credit: Verizon Wireless)

V Cast Mobile TV will not transmit via Verizon's standard EV-DO network, but will broadcast directly and independently to the supported handsets instead. Verizon promises that the video quality will match that of a standard television with 30 frames per second (V Cast streaming video is 15fps) and without any connection hiccups or rebuffering. Also, Verizon promises near perfect audio/video syncing.

Samsung SCH-u620

(Credit: Verizon Wireless)

Depending on the channel, V Cast Mobile TV shows will broadcast at the same time that they run on standard TV channels. Local programming won't be offered at launch, but could be offered later. And for the time being at least, you'll have to watch shows when they broadcast instead of being able to save them for later.

As of launch time, supported handsets will include the LG VX9400 and the Samsung SCH-u620. Both phones offer landscape displays for better TV viewing, dedicated TV buttons, and high-end features. Verizon said it will introduce additional models in the near feature.

After the announcement, I viewed a demonstration of V Cast Mobile TV and noticed a huge difference over streaming video from V Cast. There was no pixilation, and videos didn't look choppy in the least. And as promised, audio and video were remarkably in sync. In all, it looks very promising provided that Verizon can launch the service at a fair price and in enough markets. On the other hand, I'm not thrilled about watching an hour-long program on a cell phone's tiny display.