No Galaxy S II for Verizon, but expect a similar Samsung phone

Verizon Wireless won’t be joining the release party for Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S II smartphone, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Samsung plans to announce its long-awaited US Galaxy S II models at a New York City event on August 29, and the company is expected to bring versions of the phone to all major US carriers like it did last year. The Galaxy S II will still be announced for AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint next week, but now Samsung will be missing out on the biggest US wireless carrier.

But don’t fret Verizon users, the carrier apparently has a “very similar” Samsung Android smartphone on the horizon, according to the mobile site Boy Genius Report. The mystery device will sport specifications nearly identical to the Galaxy S II, which means it will have at least a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, Samsung dual-core processor and improved 8-megapixel camera. It could be branded as a successor to the Droid Charge on Verizon, which is built by Samsung.

It’s worth noting that Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5 within a few weeks, so Verizon could conceivably want to avoid the Galaxy S II launch so that it doesn’t distract consumers from the new iPhone.

Next Story: Top 10 Steve Jobs resignation reaction?stories
Previous Story: Why Apple employees avoid getting in the elevator with Steve?Jobs

Tags: Android, Galaxy S II, smartphones

Companies: Samsung, Verizon Wireless

View the original article here

Verizon acquires enterprise services provider CloudSwitch

Verizon on Thursday announced it will purchase cloud services firm CloudSwitch with the intent of boosting its enterprise and IT offerings.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Verizon plans to combine CloudSwitch with the Terremark IT services company it already owns. The company hopes the CloudSwitch software, which enables enterprises to easily move applications and workloads into the cloud, will help companies move over to Terremark’s services.

Specifically, CloudSwitch currently provides an interface so customers can port applications to Amazon Web Services, Terremark and Microsoft Windows Azure’s clouds. By owning CloudSwitch and Terremark, Verizon can assure customers of better security and control between CloudSwitch and Terremark. In theory, this could help peel some enterprise customers away from Amazon and Microsoft.

“The cloud market is a rapidly growing opportunity, with very real benefits both for our business customers and the consumers they serve,” said Bob Toohey, president of Verizon’s global enterprise unit, in a statement.

CloudSwitch previously earned $15.4 million in two funding rounds. In January, 2009, CloudSwitch raised $7.4 million in first-round funding from the likes of Atlas Ventures and Matrix Partners. The company then grabbed another $8 million in its second round in June, 2009. The company was reportedly in talks for a third round when Verizon approached it with an acquisition proposal.

Next Story: OpenFeint’s single sign-on for social games to replace Apple’s UDID?(exclusive)
Previous Story: Top 10 Steve Jobs resignation reaction?stories

Tags: Amazon Web Services, cloud services, enterprise services, Microsoft Windows Azure

Companies: Amazon, CloudSwitch, Microsoft, Terremark, Verizon

View the original article here

Square who? Intuit brings its GoPayment mobile card reader to Verizon Wireless stores

Intuit and Verizon Wireless announced this morning that they will be partnering to offer Intuit’s GoPayment mobile card reader in Verizon stores, bringing the device to more than 2,300 retail locations across the US.

Aside from the obvious benefit of more widespread availability, the partnership shines some much-needed light on Intuit’s two-year-old GoPayment technology. GoPayment launched a year before the more hyped mobile payment startup Square. which has made its tiny mobile credit card reader synonymous with mobile payments.

Intuit’s GoPayment credit card reader slides into your phone or tablet’s headphone jack (yes, just like Square’s), and works together with a free app to accept payments. It opens the door for you to take payments anywhere, which could be particularly useful for small business owners. GoPayment supports iOS, Android, and BlackBerry devices. It can also synchronize with Intuit’s QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online accounting software, a major plus compared to Square.

As part of the partnership, Verizon Wireless customers will be able to get the GoPayment credit card reader for free when they activate their GoPayment account and mail in a $29.97 rebate. Intuit would have been better off figuring out another way to offer the discount to customers, since a mail-in rebate isn’t as tempting to consumers as an instant discount.

Square, on the other hand, has offered its mobile card reader for free from the start, which has likely accounted for its massive growth and hype. Square’s card reader is also sold at Apple stores for $10, but you instantly get that money back when you sign up for a Square account.

There’s no monthly or transaction fee for the basic GoPayment service, but you will get charged 2.7 percent for swiped transactions. For heavy users, Intuit also offers a $12.95 a month plan with a 1.7 percent rate for swipe transactions. Verizon Wireless users will receive two free months of the monthly plan when they sign up. GoPayment can also support up to 50 users on a single account.

Next Story: Google Plus struggles to add women after mostly-male?launch
Previous Story: Facebook schedules f8 conference for Sept.?22

Tags: GoPayment, mobile payments, smartphones, tablets

Companies: Intuit, Square, Verizon Wireless

View the original article here

Verizon to take $20/month 300MB data plan nationwide for holidays

After launching a $20/month 300MB data plan in the mid-Atlantic region last week, Verizon intends to take the plan nationwide just in time for major smartphone releases like the iPhone 5, according to a report by?9to5Google.

Verizon did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

The report?says Verizon sees the new plan as a value alternative to its $30/month 2GB plan. The company also hopes customers will think the plan is a better deal than AT&T’s competing $15/month 200MB plan, as they would get another 100MB for $5 extra each month.

Both Verizon and AT&T require a data plan with the purchase of a smartphone, so these plans are targeting value shoppers, customers who don’t use much data and parents buying their children smartphones.

Verizon’s test run of the $20 data plan in the mid-Atlantic region—which covers Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina—began Aug. 18 and ends Sept. 30. Ideally, the company could roll out the plan as a nationwide option after the test period ends.

The Apple iPhone 5 is currently rumored for a launch in “early October”, so the new data plan going into effect at that time rings true. On top of the iPhone 5, powerful data-hungry Android phones like the Motorola Droid Bionic and Droid HD will also likely land on the carrier this holiday season.

Next Story: Lab126 trademark filings hint at Amazon’s upcoming Android?tablet
Previous Story: Lithium hires a new CEO for helping enterprises engage with?customers

Tags: data plans, Droid Bionic, Droid HD, iPhone 5, wireless data

Companies: Apple, AT&T, Motorola, Verizon, Verizon Wireless

View the original article here