Verizon customers can customize their Moto X starting on November 11th

8:30 PM

Good news, Verizon customers: Soon you’ll be able to buy the same wood-patterned Moto X that AT&T customers have enjoyed for months. Droid Life’s sources claim that Verizon customers will get access to the Moto Maker system starting on November 11th, which will let them custom-design their Moto X smartphones and choose from features such as colors, engravings and signature wallpapers. Like AT&T, Verizon will probably sell the customizable Moto X for just $99 with a two-year contract.

The Moto X, which Motorola released this past summer and marketed as the world’s first customizable smartphone, features a 4.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (316 pixels per inch), a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.7GHz dual-core processor, a quad-core GPU, a 10-megapixel Clear Pixel rear-facing camera, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of memory and a 2200mAh battery.

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Verizon accused of violating FCC rules by blocking Nexus 7 from its 4G LTE network

12:10 PM

Surprise, surprise: Verizon is being accused of ignoring the Federal Communications Commission’s rules on what it can do with its spectrum. Jeff Jarvis says that Verizon so far has refused to hook his unlocked Nexus 7 tablet up to its LTE network because the device is “not part of our lineup and can’t be activated.” As Jarvis notes, this seems to violate the regulations the FCC placed on Verizon when it first won the rights to operate on the 700MHz spectrum that it uses for much of its LTE network.

Some quick background: Way back in 2008, the FCC sold off several valuable chunks of spectrum on the 700MHz band and Verizon won the lion’s share of licenses for the so-called “C Block” of spectrum that just happened to be the most valuable in the entire auction. As part of the auction, the FCC slapped several open-access rules on the “C Block” that mandated Verizon allow any devices to connect to its LTE network and that barred it from blocking any applications on its users’ devices.

Jarvis notes that the FCC’s rules are written very clearly and leave little wiggle room for Verizon to not allow his Nexus 7 onto its network. What’s more, he says that the Nexus 7's LTE radios have been designed to run on Verizon’s 700MHz spectrum so there’s really no technical reason for the company to bar the device.

“So this is not a matter of anything Verizon cannot do,” he writes. “This is a matter of what Verizon will not do. And that is what makes this a violation of FCC regulations and Verizon’s assurances.”

For its part, Verizon has told AndroidCentral that the Nexus 7 is not yet “Verizon 4G LTE certified” and that it will let customers know when the device passes through certifications. Jarvis incredulously responds that the Nexus 7 was launched almost two months ago and that he can’t believe Verizon is just now getting around to starting the certification process for it.

View the original article here

Vodafone to sell their share of Verizon Wireless

Vodafone UK has owned a big chunk (45 percent) of American carrier Verizon Wireless since 1999, but that is now about to change.

Verizon has confirmed the rumour that they will be buying all of the Vodafone stake in the wireless division of the company. The cost? A cool $130 (£84) billion, paid in cash and stock. It should close by Q1 2014.

The deal was unanimously approved by the board of both companies, but still has to be approved by the government and company shareholders.

Wonder what Vodafone will do with this new wealth ?

My Name is Ian Furlong and I am 40 something husband to Lisa and dad to Seth
I’ve been a member of this site from its very beginnings, when i first had the original Orange SPV
My current crop of devices are Samsung Galaxy SIII, Nexus 7, Ipad 3rd Gen, Sensation XE.