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The new “Superphones” can be overwhelming. In a shrewd move to prevent customer dissatisfaction and to reduce the call load of their customer care centers, Big Red is offering free classroom-style training for Verizon Wireless customers on the new Motorola DROID, Palm Pre Plus and other Smartphones.  Even if you don’t currently own a smartphone, you are welcome to attend a class to learn more about the capabilities and differences of the phones offered by Verizon.

Check with your local Verizon Wireless store for schedules.

Attendees can learn about a variety of topics, including how to:

• Text message
• Set up speed-dial
• Synch with an address book
• Send e-mail
• Browse the Internet
• Use the camera
• Use Bluetooth and other accessories
• Change the ringtone

Registration is not required. Customers who do not yet have an advanced device but would like to learn more about these devices are also welcome to attend.

Customers who are unable to attend an in-store event can attend an Internet-based instructional class to learn about their new device at www.verizonwireless.com/learning.

Read this if you’ve been eying a Droid Eris!

BerryScoop reports that the HTC Eris will be replaced by the new HTC Incredible as early as April 1st. The new phone has already been spotted in the Verizon inventory system.

The Incredible is expected to be a close cousin to the Nexus One, sporting a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, AMOLED display, 5MP auto-focus camera with flash, and running Android 2.1 + Sense UI.

In essence, the Incredible will be Verizon’s branded version of the Nexus One, sold through their retail stores. Contrary to some rumors, the actual Nexus One will continue to be sold directly by Google and should become available for Verizon around the same time.

The trade-offs between the two phones will come down to choosing:  A carrier subsidized HTC Incredible with a mobile contract and less frequent software updates over an unlocked Nexus One without in-store support and higher up-front cost.

If the current sales performance numbers of the Nexus One are any indication, I think the traditional retail sales model will continue to outsell the online-only Nexus One, and the Incredible could become the next Android hit for Verizon.

via pocketnow and berryscoop

I checked out Motorola’s latest Android phone, the Motorola Devour, yesterday. I was really excited when I first heard about this phone, hoping for a great entry-level Android device with a physical keyboard, but my hands-on experience, albeit short, wasn’t great.

My first impression: This phone is a tank! Depending on what’s important to you this may not be a bad thing. The Devour feels rock solid, big and heavy. The keyboard slider mechanism works great and the aluminum casing should protect it from many physical abuses. Still, the headphone jack is in a strange location and the overall aluminum body gives it somewhat of a retro look.

Did I already mention this phone is big and heavy?!

Considering the overall size of the phone its 3.1-inch screen feels puny. Touch screen accuracy is good, but unfortunately the screen would not switch to landscape when turned on its side until you opened the slider keyboard. The phone does have a 3-axis accelerometer, so perhaps there is a setting somewhere to make the screen layout switch automatically. The keyboard does feel better than the Droid’s. The keys are spaced out & responsive and the little touch pad works great.

The phone that I played with had Android 2.0 installed, even though it was previously said to ship with Android 1.6. It also comes with MOTOBLUR, targeting people that don’t want to deal with all the individual apps for Email, SMS, Twitter, Facebook , etc. MOTOBLUR uses a simplified concept  of two main information categories called Messages and Happenings that are displayed as widgets on your home screen. Messages are in essence the traditional one-to-one communications, like email and sms. Happenings are all your social feeds from twitter, facebook and the like. People that are heavy into Twitter and Facebook may like the always-on social feed on the home screen. I found the update bubbles to be cluttering the screen, forcing me to use the menu for any other functions.

The 3.1MP camera on the Devour is probably the biggest disappointment. I took a couple of test pictures that looked blurry and dim. No flash and fixed focus make this camera pretty useless.

My overall conclusion: With the many promotions Verizon is offering, the price difference between the Devour and Droid is almost negligible. The Droid is a far superior phone in almost every aspect – the keyboard perhaps being the only exception.

Skip the Devour and get a Droid instead!

A number of blogs are speculating that the long anticipated ship date for the Nexus One on Verizon might be March 23rd. The date sounds plausible as it would coincide with the first day of the International CTIA Wireless Expo in Las Vegas, and Spring officially starts on March 20th .
Other evidence is a recent FCC approval of a CDMA device that seems to resemble the Nexus One.

I can’t wait to compare the 3G performance of the current T-Mobile GSM version against a Verizon CDMA model and see if the signal strength and 3G performance is still as sensitive to environmental factors e.g. holding the phone. The unreliable 3G connectivity and general network performance is probably my biggest gripe with the N1 right now. I have not observed any touchscreen problems as other people reported.

The Motorola Devour is available this week, on February 25th, exclusively at Best Buy Mobile for $99 with contract, after rebates. It will be available at Verizon stores sometime next month.

This newest phone in the Verizon Droid lineup could turn out to be a great entry level Android device. I think its sturdy aluminum case with slide-out keyboard combined with MotoBlur is going to appeal to many current Blackberry users and people that are looking for a simplified Android experience. 

Although the specs are not as impressive as some of the other Android phones, it will satisfy most users:

• Android 1.6 with MotoBlur
• 3.1-in.; HVGA (320 x 480 pixels)
• 3MP Fixed Focus Camera with Video
• WiFi 802.11 b,g
• GPS
• Dual microphone noise cancellation
• 1400 mAh Li Ion Battery

Wow – Droid prices are dropping to new lows. Motorola Droid now $50 at Sears online. Droid Eris free at Best Buy with new 2 year contract or extension. New Droid Devour rumored to be $99 at launch.