Verizon Wireless is one of the carriers going full speed ahead with the initial tests and deployment of their high speed 4G network in the US. According to Verizon CTO Anthony Melone, the carrier’s first 4G handsets should be hitting the stores sometime in middle of 2011. Initially the Long Term Evolution ( LTE ) 4G network will be used by pure-data devices such as USB modems and data cards.

The phones will be coming around a year after the network itself goes live, but will still be six months ahead of the earlier predicted timeline. The phones are expected to have both CDMA and LTE chipsets as coverage will be small at first with the subscribers requiring to have legacy chipsets to access the network outside coverage areas.

There are talks about Apple ending its iPhone exclusivity with AT&T but that has never just happened, indeed, Apple is ready with the specific AT&T data plans for the iPad, which is the next big product Cupertino has high hopes from. Now amidst all this, consider this leaked memo for the VZW staff members which shows how hopeful Big Red is about the iPad arrival despite the prevalent hopelessness.

Apple is never thinking about VZW apparently but, VZW is thinking of making some good money with the Apple iPad for which the staff members are being given tips as reflected in this memo.

Verizon is all set to start off its 4G LTE network deployment in the US later this year. They are still running tests networks in Boston and Seattle and they are reporting being able to coax out as much as 40-50 Mbps downstream and 20-25 Mbps upstream bandwidths.

Until February this year, the HTC Incredible wasn’t all that popular a name but within a month, this HTC smartphone is the most talked about device apparently. The latest bit of information regarding this Verizon bound handset is that it will feature a red button and a red back cover. The images are a proof enough just in case you doubted the authenticity and these flicks come from androidforums.

Verizon Wireless have just made an official statement concerning the recent outage in eastern US earlier today. According to the company, the data service outages took effect for more than four hours.

If you are somebody who is looking to lay your hands on Motorola’s Verizon Droid, head for Amazon.com. For, the Android-based handset is now being offered for a discount for online shoppers by Amazon. If you are wondering as to how much will be the deal price, we learn that the handset would come for just $49.99 when purchased as part of a two-year deal!

The Blackberry Bold 9650 and for some the Tour 2 9650 is an eagerly awaited handset but, problems have begun right at the beginning with both contingents i.e. Sprint and VZW delaying the launch. It was Verizon that got a head-start (seemingly) as their smartphone even made it to certain stores but, stocks had to be returned for updates and the launch will now happen after the OS 5.0 arrives for the Tour 9630.

You may shun the movie Twilight with caustic criticism for being a girl fantasy film but you will sure not criticize the ‘rip off’ Verizon advert that targets the poor AT&T 3G network. With the festivities over and things getting to the business end in the second month of 2010, the two giants have drawn their daggers yet again, putting an end to the notion that things have improved with the year changing. (video after the jump)

Although we couldn’t find anything official and the company didn’t say much about it at the MWC in Barcelona, the chaps over at Modaco seem to have scoop regarding the new HTC Bravo, but if they’re to be believed, the smartphone will debut on Verizon as the HTC Desire.

Replacing the Bravo, the “new” HTC Desire (if you remember the Droid Eris used to be codenamed Desire, too) is going to run on Android 2.1, boasts a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 3.7-inch AMOLED touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution, 512 MB of RAM and 576 MB of ROM, has the HTC Sense UI, along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, GPS support, a 5 megapixel color camera with auto focus and flash and a 3.5 mm stereo audio jack.

Hit the break for the full specs sheet.

The iPhone App Store is in the middle of a brewing storm. Or so it seems. The Mobile World Congress venue this morning was witness to as many as 24 leading telecommunications operators giving shape to a Wholesale Applications Community, which in effect would build an open platform that delivers applications to all mobile phone users.

Aimed at bringing together a fragmented marketplace and create an open industry platform that benefits everybody, from applications developers and network operators to mobile phone users themselves, the Wholesale Applications Community could be seen as a move that is in direct response to Apple’s success with its iPhone App Store.