The DROID Incredible 4G LTE sort of came at a bad time, just like the Motorola Atrix HD. Both phones were released far too close to the phone of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S3. And just like the Atrix HD, I have had this phone for over a month now, but when the GS3 was released, the Inc 4G immediately took a back seat until things cooled off a bit. Actually, “back seat” is the perfect way to describe this phone. It took a back seat to not only the Galaxy S3, but also the entire HTC One series that was released earlier in the year. It didn’t receive the coveted “One” tag, nor did it receive any of the high-end specs of that series. Hell, maybe we should go with “stepchild” instead of “back seat?” Anyways, let’s talk about it. 

HTC’s latest version of the DROID Incredible line didn’t impress many people, namely because it couldn’t stand up against the One X and even the One S. Nevertheless, some people did stick with the Inc 4G LTE and those customers are going to be happy with today’s news. HTC has taken to their developer website HTCDev and posted the kernel information for the device, available for download right now. This should spur some better development for the device, so if you do any work on the Incredible 4G LTE hit the source link and get your download on.

HTCDev

After the FCC ruled that Verizon could no longer block tethering apps, as it violated the “C Block rules” attached to their purchase of the C-Block spectrum that their 4G LTE network now runs on, we wondered if other non-tethering apps would be a included in the deal. From what we’re hearing, it does apply to other apps, specifically Google Wallet. 

HTC made a splash this year with the release of the One series lineup of phones. Combining great hardware with a toned-down Sense UI experience really sold well, and with the release of Jelly Bean, HTC promises that the One series will be seeing the update. In a short statement yesterday, the company said that they would be working to bring Android 4.1 to the One X, One XL and One S.

However, the Incredible 4G LTE that was released on Verizon just after the One series landed was not mentioned in the statement. We know that the Incredible was a bit of a different phone than the One series, but even still, we hope that buyers will get some tasty Jelly Bean action some time down the road.

Via: Engadget

If you have been looking to buy or upgrade to the Incredible 4G LTE (overview here) on Verizon, Let’s Talk is offering the device up for only $39.99. This sale, along with an additional coupon code (DROID20) that is good for an extra $20 off, can be used by existing Big Red customers and first timers. That’s $19.99 for a brand new phone.

Update:  It looks like the extra $20 off deal may have ended on Sunday. Feel free to give it a shot, but either way, you can still grab the phone for $39.99, which is cheaper than any other retailer.

As for the device itself, it is powered by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon chip, incorporates HTC’s Sense UI, and sports an 8MP back shooter. We’re working on our full review right now, but in the mean time, you won’t find a much better deal than this.

Via: Let’s Talk, Facebook

Cheers Jigga_Z!

I spent my first full day with the Incredible 4G LTE yesterday after putting it off over the holiday, and noticed something a bit frustrating almost immediately. See that screenshot above on the left? The “Ongoing” message to turn WiFi on. As an “Ongoing” notification, it never goes away. I’m not kidding about this either. If you take a look at the “Advanced Wi-Fi” shot to its right, you can see that there isn’t an option to remove this. So no matter what you are doing on your phone or where you are, which could mean you are 400 miles away from the nearest WiFi router, you will have that WiFi icon with a slash through it telling you to turn WiFi on. The only way to get that obnoxious little icon to go away, is to connect to a WiFi network. 

If the Samsung Galaxy S3 is not the phone for you and you are ready for something new, then the DROID Incredible 4G LTE, which became available today, is not a bad option. At $149, it packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4″ screen, NFC chip, 4G LTE radio, runs Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0, and should be one of Big Red’s most efficient phones yet. We unboxed it already if you are interested in watching that magic go down, but our full review will happen over the next week or so.

Buy.

Is this your next phone?

Our DROID Incredible 4G LTE review unit arrived this morning from Verizon, so we decided to take it for a quick spin to get you all caught up on it, again. I say “again” because this is the third or fourth time that we have had our hands on this phone in the last two months, but now that it will finally arrive this Thursday, it needed one more official tour.

You all know the specs and price ($149), so jump below and into our video and gallery.