Verizon Releases HTC Incredible 2 And Casio G’ZONE Commando

VZW customers not looking to rule the world with the top-tier smartphone have some not-so-extreme options. For the accident prone mobile warrior, Casio’s G’Zone Commando features a robust heavy-duty design complete with Android 2.2 and 5-megapixel camera. The Incredible S ups the ante with a fast 1GHz single-core processor, 4″ WVGA display, 8-megapixel camera w/ 720p video recording, and SRS WOW audio.

Both phones will ship on April 28th and cost $200 w/ a new 2-year contract.

Review: BlackBerry PlayBook.

No tablet since the release of the iPad has garned as much media attention as RIM’s PlayBook. While the Motorola XOOM certainly had its fair share of limelight, the PlayBook has been herald not only for it’s powerful hardware, but all new QNX-based operating system. With RIM’s future hedging heavily on how well the PlayBook (and QNX) do, failing now could mean big problems in the near future.

With that said, we’ve given the PlayBook a heavy flogging in hopes of discovering every nook and cranny this device and new OS have to offer. Hop inside for the full Gadgetsteria review…

Google Chat Video Support Coming To Android 2.3.4?

If this tweet by @MAFiA303 is any indication of what we’ll see announced at Google’s I/O conference, Google Video Chat junkies on Android smartphones will be pleased. It appears that the next Android update, Android 2.3.4, will bring the currently 3.0-only feature to consumers running an Android 2.3.x capable device.

For the record, @MAFiA303 works for Samsung and has said that the Gtalk video feature is “nice”. With a slew of video chat apps already available in the Android Market, is native support really that big of a deal? We certainly think so. Thankfully we won’t have to wait long. Google I/O is set to go down in two weeks.

Verizon: “LTE Rollout Going Great. We’re Still Killing Unlimited Data.”

Now that Verizon is sucking you into the awesomeness that is LTE, it’s hard for you to use any rationale and get out while the times are good. The Verizon Wireless VP of Network Operations, Nicola Palmer, stated that while the LTE rollout is going a lot better than expected, we consumers shouldn’t expect to see unlimited LTE plans sticking around much longer.

“Frankly I expected some speed bumps. The surprise here to me is the speed bumps were very few and far between and they didn’t do any damage to the undercarriage.”

“Unlimited billing on data is simply unsustainable for the industry.”

The former is good to hear and means that the LTE steamrolling movement across the country should continue at a rather brisk pace. The latter, however, is more confirmation of a bleak future for data users. Of course the real irony is that Verizon talks of the benefits of LTE such as high definition video uploads/downloads. That’s a nice thing to fill unassuming consumers’ heads with until you realize a couple of hours of HD video and your entire data allotment for the month is gone. Sad times ahead indeed.

LG Entering The Mobile Processor Biz With ARM Cortex-A15 And Mali Graphics.

The mobile processor scene is about to get a lot more crowded. We already know that Intel has plans to get inside our pockets. And now LG has their own ambitions with news that the company has acquired an ARM license for Cortex-A9 and Cortex-15 processors as well as Mali-T604 graphics chips. The latter 1-2 punch will be “the” hardware in 2012 and onward, so they’re setting themselves up for domination.

Cost and manufacturing are two things Korean-based LG has lots of, so getting these chips into hardware and into our hands shouldn’t be a problem.

While the underlying structure of several of the top SoC designs from the likes of Nvidia, Samusng, and LG will be very similar, it’ll be interesting to see the small tweaks each company makes and how it affects real world performance. Who’s excited?

T-Mobile UK Prepares 4 New Android Devices For Release.

It’s no secret that T-Mobile (both European and U.S. based versions) loves Android. It’s their largest selling platform and the one that now provides the most choice for consumers as far as hardware is concerned. Highlighting that fact are four new devices set to drop on T-Mobile UK in the coming weeks: HTC ChaCha, Samsung Galaxy S II, Sony Xperia Neo, and LG Optimus 3D.

The HTC ChaCha was initially labeled the “Facebook Phone” due in part to its socially apt personality. The Optimus 3D’s biggest feature is the 3D support and 1GHz processor. Sony is…well, Sony. A 1GHz processor and 3.7″ WVGA display adorn the latest Xperia device. Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S II packs in a dual-core processor making it “the” device to have if power is your number one concern.

All of the phones above (save for the Xperia Neo) are slated for release in June. Expect Sony’s offering to be a month late to the party, showing up sometime in July.

Going (Almost) Naked: iPhone 4 Ultra-thin Cases Review.

Since smartphones started shipping with massive touch screens adorning most of one side, a case of some sort has more or less become a must. Not only is the glass itself fragile and expensive to replace, but the phones themselves are shrinking, making an already fragile gadget even more-so. But certain phones are meant to be shown off. Case in point: the Apple iPhone 4. From a company who prides itself in design, it makes sense that the iPhone 4 looks best when going comando. But with two glass sides in use, it’s a paranoia nightmare.

So today we’re going to give you a quick look at several ultra-thin iPhone 4 cases by Moshi, Xtreme Mac, and iSkin. Get ready to go (almost) naked after the jump…