Verizon expands LTE coverage; Droid Charge ships next week
Verizon Wireless is readying next week's launch of the Samsung Droid Charge, and now six additional markets will be able to support the 4G smartphone as well.
While reporting quarterly earnings this week, Verizon execs affirmed that three new LTE-enabled smartphones would roll out during the second quarter. It looks like one of them is actually the Droid Charge, Samsung's first 4G LTE smartphone. (However, the Samsung Galaxy S II is still looks like a possibility, but we might not see that one until summer.)
The Droid Charge won't come cheap as it is priced at $299.99 with the signing of a new two-year service agreement. Don't forget about the necessary data plans that start at $29.99 per month (not counting the monthly talk plan). That's quite a price to pay for a smartphone, even a 4G one at that. However, it can double as a mobile hotspot that provides connectivity for up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices or up to five devices on 3G.
Here are the most notable specs, so decide for yourself if it is worth buying the Android 2.2-based Droid Charge:
- 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display
- 1GHz application processor
- HTML 5 Web browser
- 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash
- 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
- Supports Adobe Flash
Additionally, Verizon is expanding its LTE network to encompass six more markets: Clarksville, Tenn.-Hopkinsville, Ky.; Cleveland, Tenn.; Columbia and Hilton Head, S.C.; Wilmington, N.C.; and the Greater Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. Subscribers in Charlotte, N.C. can also expect wider coverage in that metropolitan area as well.
[Image via Ars Technica]
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