Anyone who owns a Palm Pre Plus on Verizon Wireless is painfully aware of the poor GPS performance. It especially hits you when trying to get a GPS fix in any location-based application. VZ Navigator works flawlessly and many people launch VZ Navigator to the splash screen in order to activate the aGPS on the phone and then use this data in a third party application like Google Maps. Though it works, this technique needs to be repeated each time you need an instant GPS fix. Thanks to James Harris and his GPS Fix application, those days of constantly launching VZ Nav may be over. This new application activates the GPS and keeps its alive in the background by pinging the GPS for location data at user-determined intervals. It is a crude workaround that may drain your battery but it works in a pinch and is a better alternative than hacking your phone with QPST and modifying the settings for the GPSOne chipset, a technical procedure that could brick you phone. Yeah, we went there. For those that are interested, the GPSFix application is available from the Palm Beta Feed

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We called it ten days ago and now it’s official: Verizon will begin selling the Samsung Reality come April 22nd. A decently spec’d feature phone with a 3″ WQVGA display, four-row sliding QWERTY keypad and 3.2 megapixel camera, the Reality will set you back $79.99 after rebates on a 2-year deal. Of course with all things cellular there’s a catch, and in this case you’ll need to subscribe to either the Nationwide Talk or Nationwide Talk & Text plan as well as plunk down $9.99 per month for 25MB of data. But that’s okay. We mean, it’s not like Verizon has anything better coming up soon. Oh, wait…

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One of our trusty Verizon Wireless sources has let us know that Verizon will be launching the Samsung Reality on April 22nd. It’s definitely not a smartphone, but the Reality will pack enough punch to get most people happily through the day with 3″ touchscreen, horizontal QWERTY slider, 3.2 megapixel camera, VZ Navigator, V CAST, visual voicemail, 3.5mm headphone jack and one-touch access to your favorite social networking sites. We’ve yet to establish what the Reality will go for, but we can’t imagine it setting you back more than a Benjamin. Just make sure you budget north of $9.99 per month for a data plan, okay?

We’re sure that most of you are sick and tired of all of this Verizon news (how do you think we feel having to write about it?), but they’re on a tear. Today Verizon announced that it will be carrying the BlackBerry Curve 8530 starting November 20th. To go for $99.99 on contract after a $100 mail-in rebate, the new Curve offers the following: full-QWERTY keypad, optical trackpad, 2 megapixel camera, GPS, dedicated multimedia keys, 3.5mm headphone jack, 256MB of app memory, 528MHz processor, EV-DO connectivity and last but not least, Wi-Fi! Yes, indeedy, Verizon is definitely looking like the front runner in the smartphone arms race of the 2009 Holiday Season.Read

It might not have a spot for microSD cards or even an EV-DO radio, but Pantech’s Verizon-bound Escapade is a special phone nonetheless. You see, the Escapade, which is all set to launch on August 21st, will be one of the few non-smartphones offered by Big Red that is capable of operating overseas on GSM networks. Without it, you’d pretty much have no choice but to get a loaner phone or pony up the big bugs for a smartphone. Spec wise, as we already alluded to, the Escapade is more like a blast from the past than anything new, but it does have a 2 megapixel shooter as well as GPS. So not only can you take some grainy snap shots while on vacation in Rome, but you can also navigate your way down its maze of winding roads and passages.

We’ve already given the world its first peek and Verizon’s upcoming HTC Ozone, nailed down its scheduled availability of June 29th/July 13th and pegged its pricing at $49.99 after MIR, but we’re not done yet because two of our VZW ninjas just hit us up with the complete spec list for the device — and plenty more. Just as we suspected, the Ozone features EV-DO Rev. A connectivity in addition to quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE. We’re also pleased to report that the GPS chip is not shackled to VZ Navigator and that Verizon will allow users to use the device as a tethered modem (for a fee of course). Hit the jump for the rest of the specs along with a sizable Ozone deck.

Thanks, anonymous and indelus!

Features

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
• Dual-band 1xRTT/EV-DO Rev. A, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Pre-installed SIM Card w/ Global Support Kit
• Microsoft Office Mobile
• Adobe Reader LE PFT viewer
• Internet Explorer Mobile
• Windows Media Player Mobile
• 256MB ROM/128MB RAM
• WiFi 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
• 2.4″ QVGA display w/ 24k color
• Full-QWERTY with 5-way navigation key
• 2 megapixel camera w/ auto-focus and video capture
• microSD slot (up to 16GB)
• Voice command, notes/recorder capable
• Speakerphone
• Security locking features
• MMS
• AOL, WLM, Yahoo! IM
• Wireless Sync capable
• ActiveSync capable (v4.5) and Windows Mobile Device Center
• Mobile Broadband Connect capable
• VZ Navigator capable
• Visual Voicemail capable
• Device Insurance available
• Hearing aid compatible = M3/T3

Specifications

• 4.5″ x 2.5″ x 0.5″
• 3.7 oz.
• 1500 mAh battery
• 290 minutes talk-time
• 324 hours standby
• Head: 1.03 W/Kg SAR

Remember the HTC Ozone? Of course you do and so does one of our Verizon ninjas because we’ve received word that the Ozone (also known as the XV6175, Snap, Cedar and Willow if you’re so inclined) will apparently be available online starting June 29th with brick and mortar availability to follow on July 13th. Pricing is still something we’ve yet to zero in on but if you’re the sort of person who stands by Big Red and are absolutely dying to get your hands on an all-too-rare WinMo-powered candybar with a full-QWERTY, then something tells us price is no object. Right?

Thanks, goldciv!

UPDATE: Looks as if pricing will be $119.99 on a 2-year although it looks like there will also be a $70 MIR.

Right on time, the Pearl Flip has made its official debut on Verizon Wireless’ website and is now ripe for the picking. Surprisingly, sort of, the Pearl Flip has already been discounted — selling for $79 after a $70 mail-in rebate and two year contract instead of the announced $129.99. Apparently, Verizon included the Pearl Flip in that $50 price drop when it ended the BlackBerry BOGO promotion. For those who prefer a more personal shopping experience, the Pearl Flip is also available in stores today. Now with the 8230ccccccc out of the way, Big Red can focus on bigger and better ‘Berrys (Tour, anyone?).

Thanks, Adam!

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*sniff* We thought this day would never come but Verizon has officially announced the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230. Available starting June 19th, Verizon asks that you fork over $129.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate on a 2-year contract. As for the specs, you know the deal: OS 4.6.0, 324MHz processor, external display, vertical QVGA internal display, SureType keypad, 2 megapixel camera with flash, GPS, so on, so forth. Anyone excited? The Pearl Flip is just as cool as the Tour, right?

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Today Verizon took the wraps off of three devices we feel like we already know all too well. Starting off with the successor to the Voyager, the evV TOUCH features a 3-inch touchscreen display on the exterior, a non-touch 3-inch display on the interior, full-QWERTY keypad, 3.2 megapixel camera with a Schneider Kreuznach lens and auto-focus, 3.5mm headphone jack and the ability to view Microsoft Office documents from a microSD card. The enV 3 features a full-QWERTY keypad as well, but it has a 2.6-inch external display coupled with a 1.56-incher on the inside and support for microSD cards up to 16GB. Moving on to the Glance, not much to see here other than the 1.3 megapixel camera, 2.5mm headphone jack and slim silhouette. All three devices feature GPS by way of VZ Navigator, mobile email, web and IM in addition to threaded SMS and MMS. The enV TOUCH will be available on June 5th for $149.99 after a $70 MIR with the Glance coming out the same day for $49.99 after a $50 MIR. The enV 3 will be available tomorrow for $129.99 after a $50 MIR.

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