Thursday, April 21, 2011

Samsung's LTE-enabled Droid Charge coming to Verizon on April 28th for $300 on contract

Ready for the era of $300 superphones? We know, we aren't either, but the addition of LTE seems to be justification enough for Verizon Wireless and Samsung to toss a $299.99 subsidized price on the latter's newest handset. After being leaked a few times over, the borderline-ominous phone is finally getting official. April 28th is the day, with consumers then able to grab a 4.3-inch AMOLED Plus display, rear-facing 8 megapixel camera, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing shooter, 1GHz processor, Android 2.2 and LTE support. Unlimited 4G data plans are still being hawked for $29.99, and while the entry price definitely stings, having mobile hotspot for "no additional charge" is certainly a perk. Might want to be first in line, though -- that last snippet will only be offered for "a limited time."

Samsung Droid Charge for Verizon Wireless

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VERIZON WIRELESS UNLEASHES DROID CHARGE BY SAMSUNG
April 21, 2011

DROID CHARGE Joins Verizon Wireless' DROID family As Samsung's First 4G LTE Smartphone

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. –Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced that the Droid Charge by Samsung will be available April 28 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com.

The Droid Charge is designed with Samsung's 4.3-inch Super AMOLED™ Plus display, setting a new touch screen standard for brightness, clarity and outdoor visibility. The Droid Charge is equipped with both a rear-facing 8 megapixel camera with LED flash and front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera for both stills and video chatting. The smartphone's 1GHz application processor and HTML 5 Web browser maximizes high-speed 4G LTE connectivity for faster downloads and graphics processing.

Additional Features:

- 4G LTE– customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage area

- Android 2.2 platform – With support for Google Mobile Services including Gmail, YouTube™, Google Talk, Google Search, Google Maps and access to more than 150,000 apps available to download from Android Market™

- Adobe® Flash® Player compatible

- Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G connection with up to 10 WiFi-enabled devices or a 3G connection with up to 5 devices

- Samsung Media Hub – Samsung's own content service, offering a vast lineup of critically acclaimed films and TV programs for rent or purchase

- Virtual QWERTY Keyboard featuring Swype Technology

Pricing and data plans:

- The Droid Charge by Samsung will be available for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

- Droid Charge customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a 4G LTE data package. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Unlimited 4G LTE data packages start at $29.99 monthly access. Mobile hotspot feature will be included for a limited time at no additional charge.

Find the DROID Charge

Beginning April 21, anyone over the age of 18 can participate in an exclusive Droid Charge Scavenger Hunt. Follow the online clues to find hidden locations in 16 different cities to win a Droid Charge by Samsung. For additional information about the DROID Charge scavenger hunt, visit: http://twitter.com/droidlanding.