Led by Atrix, no shortage of new Androids

By Mark Milian, CNN

(CNN) -- The Verizon iPhone train started rolling this week, but Apple's main smartphone competitors aren't about to be left at the station.

This week, cellular carriers released details about a trio of upcoming smartphones, all of which run an older version of Google's Android operating system.

AT&T announced a March 6 release deadline for the Atrix 4G, a Motorola Mobility "transformer" phone that grabbed the spotlight at the Consumer Electronics Show last month.

With a speedy dual-core processor inside, the Arix can be used as a media center or limited-function PC when connected to a television or monitor using a dock accessory. Motorola will also sell a laptop shell that allows the Atrix to essentially convert into a sort of netbook, complete with a keyboard.

New details about the much-anticipated Atrix came on the same day Verizon Wireless began letting current customers pre-order the iPhone 4, formerly exclusive to AT&T in the U.S.

At $200 with a two-year contract, the Atrix will be among the first to run on AT&T's faster data network and carry the "4G" branding.The Atrix, an AT&T exclusive, will be available for pre-order starting on February 13.

On the same day, AT&T will begin selling another so-called 4G phone.The second-largest U.S. carrier by subscribers announced the launch date and a $100 price tag, two-year agreement required, for HTC's Inspire 4G. That info came on Tuesday, kicking off a big week for smartphone news. The Inspire has a 4.3-inch screen -- the same large size as the Evo 4G.

The new device will be the inaugural smartphone to offer AT&T's Mobile Hotspot service.Having long struggled to support the bandwidth needs of its millions of smartphone subscribers, AT&T lags behind competitors in offering this feature. Customers will have to pay an extra $20 per month to use the feature, which adds 2 gigabytes of wireless internet usage, the carrier said on Wednesday.

T-Mobile USA, the fourth-largest U.S. network, said on Tuesday that it expects to begin selling the Galaxy S 4G from Samsung Electronics this month. It's similar to Samsung's several other Android handsets, but this one is compatible with T-Mobile's faster data network.

All three of these new smartphones, strangely, come with a seven-month-old version of Android, called Froyo.Since releasing that version, Google launched another called Gingerbread, which powers a Samsung-made phone called the Nexus S. Google held a news conference on Wednesday to say developers are close to releasing the first device that will run thenext Android, called Honeycomb, this month.

Verizon iPhone will go on sale Feb. 10

 

By Julianne Pepitone, 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The wait is over. Verizon Wireless said Tuesday it will begin selling Apple's iPhone early next month, ending AT&T's four-year run as the phone's exclusive carrier.

"If the press writes something long enough and hard enough, it eventually comes true," Verizon President Lowell McAdam said at a press conference in New York City. "Today, we're bringing to market the fruit of our labor with another giant of the high-tech industry, and that's Apple."

Existing Verizon customers will be able to pre-order the phone beginning Feb. 3. The phone will launch in Apple and Verizon stores and online on Feb. 10, according to Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead. Verizon customers eligible for "new every two" upgrades will be able to use those upgrade credits toward an iPhone.

The Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) iPhone is a modified version of Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPhone 4, adapted to run on Verizon's CDMA network. With a two-year contract, the Verizon iPhone will be $199 for a 16 GB device and $299 for the 32 GB version, the same prices AT&T offers.
Relying on Verizon's older 3G CDMA network, instead of its fledgling 4G LTE network, means Verizon's iPhone will have a few shortcomings. Most glaringly: Customers wouldn't be able to chat on the phone and surf the Web simultaneously, as they can on AT&T's iPhone.

The early LTE (Long-Term Evolution) chip sets just weren't ready yet, Apple COO Tim Cook said at Verizon's event.

"The first-generation LTE chip sets force some design compromises, some of which we would not make," Cook said. "Secondly -- and most importantly -- Verizon Wireless customers have told us they want the iPhone now."
Verizon's iPhone will have one new feature AT&T's version lacks: The built-in ability to use it as a wireless hotspot and connect up to five additional devices.

Verizon Wireless' Mead said he's confident customers will be pleased with his company's offering.

"We have a tremendous 3G network, the best in the country, and we want customers to be able to take advantage," he said. "This was the best thing to do, at this time, for our customers."

Existing AT&T customers who want to switch carriers will need to purchase a new device -- and they'll face early termination fees of up to $325 to break an ongoing contract.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs did not appear at the short event, which Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg also skipped.

In another glaring omission, Verizon executives declined to discuss pricing on the data plan for its iPhone.

0:00 /1:30Verizon gets iPhone - but no 4G

Verizon currently sells its smartphone customers unlimited data access for $30 a month. That's an option AT&T no longer offers. In June, AT&T replaced its unlimited data plan with a tiered model offering either 200 MB a month for $15 or 2 GB a month for $25.

"We talked about the device pricing, but we're not going to talk about the pricing for the network for that connectivity," Mead said. "We'll have announcements in the future."
Asked when an LTE Verizon iPhone will be available, Apple's Cook said he was "not going to comment on any unannounced products."

He did let slip one important and intriguing detail of Apple's Verizon deal: It's not exclusive. That means the CDMA iPhone could eventually come to other carriers who also rely on CDMA networks, like Sprint