The new Verizon Wireless Device Payment Plan went live yesterday, April 21, 2013. It’s clear to see these new deals have been getting some criticism, because while it benefits some customers, others feel as though they are hard done by. Upgrade cycles have now been increased to 2 years, and there is now no sign of a 1-year contract.

One such deal will allow qualified Verizon customers to purchase a smartphone or tablet at full price, as long as it’s over $349.99, but you will be able to spread payments over a 12-month period – ideal if you cannot afford to purchase the handset outright. Again, you will need to be eligible for this Verizon Device Payment Plan. However, as yet we have no idea how Big Red will determine this.

Your first of 12 monthly payments will need to be paid upfront and will include the $2 per installment finance charge, which is $24 in total. If you have the means to pay your handset or tablet in full before the 12-month period ends, you can do so. Verizon tells us that this deal does not affect your current contract.

If you wish to keep your unlimited data plan, then you can do so by going for this new Verizon Wireless Device Payment Plan instead, which is considered to be a bit of a bonus. Customers can have two Installment Plans at any one time.

Are you interested in this plan? Some people have already said that T-Mobile has a much better model, as you can pay your smartphone or tablet off over a 24-month period instead. T-Mobile also has cheaper tariffs as well, although it’s worth remembering that Verizon’s network is considered to be of far better quality, but would you agree?

We just need to add that if you live in a Metro area then T-Mobile has the edge, but if you live in the sticks then Verizon will come into their own.

Full details of this new plan can be seen by visiting the Verizon website.

Verizon made things pretty clear last week when they announced that the Motorola Droid Bionic Ice Cream Sandwich update had started to roll out, although looking at the growing number of comments about the Droid Bionic ICS update shows a different story. It is fair to say that this might be a small number of people that are not receiving the new software yet, although taking the feedback we’ve received and adding it to the growing complaints in the official forums, then it seems that there are some issues with the staggered update.

Things become more confusing on Verizon’s website – we thought a quick check of the official system update page might be a good idea, and after looking we noticed Verizon still have “coming soon” next to the Droid Bionic ICS update. You can see a screenshot of this page below, which we took just moments ago and clearly shows that the update is not live. This might be a lack of Verizon updating the page, but we have to wonder when you take all the comments into account as well.

This page also has a couple of links to the benefits of installing the Ice Cream Sandwich update on your Droid Bionic, and some tips on how to do that. We’ve included an image below that shows the main features of the Droid Bionic ICS update; so feel free to take a look if you need a refresh.

We would still love to know if you’ve managed to get the software update, and if so what location you’re in? If we find out any more details from Verizon on their Droid Bionic ICS update schedule, then we’ll be sure to let our readers know.

Hearing that Verizon is locking the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 bootloader shouldn’t come as a surprise, although that doesn’t help matters when reality hits home, and this had been seen with the evidence leaked online earlier this week. Verizon did the same with the Galaxy S3 when it landed on their network, which frustrates certain users who feel alienated.

The excitement to get the Galaxy Note 2 on Verizon will be enough for some people to turn a blind eye to certain features the carrier takes away, although the same couldn’t be said for thousands of users that are sick of Verizon locking down features they want. This means T-Mobile and AT&T can expect to receive custom from these people as long as they don’t lock down the Galaxy Note 2 as well.

Do you like to install custom ROMs on smartphones, and is this something you want to do with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2? The very reason Android is so popular is thanks to its freedom, and this is something Apple don’t give them with their closed OS, so hearing that Verizon is imposing restrictions like locking the bootloader is obviously not going to sit well with Android fans.

The problem for some people is the fact that they prefer Verizon’s network coverage and features overall, so these people will hope for an exploit like Galaxy S3 owners got shortly after they heard about the bootloader being locked.

Do you care more about installing custom ROMs on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, or are you happier to see the device arriving on Verizon Wireless? You can read about the likely release month for the Galaxy Note 2 in this article, which states it will be in November for the United States and on multiply carriers. Do you know the network you’ll choose yet if you buy a SGN2?

New vs. loyal customers – it’s true that a new customer couldn’t walk into Verizon and get the same Unlimited Data plan that other customers have enjoyed for a while, but those loyal customers are being allowed to keep this plan at a cost. You’d need to buy a new phone at an unsubsidized price to keep unlimited data (includes LTE), this is not going to be cheap by any means, although this doesn’t sit well with all loyal customers.

If you’re happy to give up the Unlimited Data plan then Verizon will give you options ranging from 2GB to 10GB, and prices range from $30 to $80 at the time of writing. Those of you that didn’t use loads of data will not have a problem with this, but if you did then you might be a little upset at Verizon for making this change and being forced to pay high for a new phone to keep unlimited.

Are you a loyal Verizon customer that wants to keep the Unlimited Data plan? Initial reactions we’ve seen to this change have some customers feeling like Verizon know how to take their money but not look after them when they’re loyal. It’s obvious not every customer feels this way, but we’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

Verizon were the first in the US to offer the operating system with the Galaxy Nexus, and have now listed fourteen different devices set to receive the new software. As an article on the Verge is reporting the list includes the likes of the Motorola RAZR and RAZR MAXX, Droid Bionic, Droid 4, Xyboard 8.1 and 10.1.

Also in the mix are the HTC Incredible 2, HTC Rhyme, HTC Rezound, HTC Thunderbolt, LG Spectrum and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.7 and 10.1. Unfortunately the company failed to give a timescale of when the updated software will be arriving to the devices, and the companies that actually make the hardware have also been slow in coming forward with any timescales regarding the software.

Motorola has recently released a list of devices getting the new operating system, but again no dates were given. HTC has also been listing devices that will eventually be upgraded but again no exact dates have been given. It is thought that both the Samsung Galaxy Tabs will be updated sometime during the second quarter of this year.

Meanwhile Verizon has put up a tease on its website that says ‘Something is coming’ and allows interested customers to enter their email address to be kept informed. As iMore is reporting, coming a day before the big reveal of the next iPad many will wonder if it has something to do with LTE connectivity, which is a rumor that continues to circulate.

Do you own one of the handsets listed by Verizon?

Did you receive the suspect message? – It’s interesting how some people have visited the website seen in this strange text message, which states Apple are on the lookout for “iPhone 5 testers” and if you’re among the first 1000 to reply you could help with the 6th generation iPhone. Anyone that knows Apple would see this as a scam right away, although curiosity has gotten the best of some people. Let us know if you got this message and what you did after?

Those of our readers that want more insight into this scam should visit this article, which looks at how to avoid it and gives a little background on the free iPhone 5 claim. We also found loads of forum posts discussing this text message and asking others if it is real or fake (yes they did have to ask that), which you can see one example in this forum.

We already heard this month about the chances of WWDC 2012 being the launch pad for new iPhones again, although these rumors are to be taken with a pinch of salt not to mention the upset it could cause some iPhone 4S buyers. If you bought the recent iPhone 4S would you be upset with an early iPhone 5 release in June or July, which would be within a year of 4S launching?

There are many phone users that don’t like Apple’s marketing strategy and some people feel iPhones lack in technology, but you cannot help but admire the late Steve Jobs approach to Flash, especially considering Flash support will not happen in Chrome for Android.

Some iPhone and Android users want a lot to change if they’re to buy an iPhone 5 – we’ve seen many lists of features wanted for the iPhone 5, and change is one word that keeps being mentioned although some people feel too much change could be a bad thing. The most popular changes wished for in iPhone 5 include the adoption of 4G, a bigger screen, more memory, improved multitasking, native turn-by-turn GPS navigation, a change in design and the most wanted change after iPhone 4S is much better battery life.

Making the jump to a new network – we’ve seen an increasing amount of current iPhone users on AT&T complaining about the network, and it seems that some of these users are just looking for an excuse to jump to Verizon Wireless, so we’d love to hear what iPhone network you’re on and if a change is needed anytime soon in your opinion? If you’re wondering what is the best iPhone network we’d recommend looking at this article, which showcases the deals on Sprint, Verizon and AT&T although be aware that this article was updated just over a month ago.

Update: Interestingly we had a quick look on YouTube for “iPhone 5 testers” and found a number of videos making different claims, which are obviously complete rubbish, so be warned PR readers that there are loads of scammers out there trying to get you to part with information or money somehow.

With an 8 megapixel camera, a planned update to Android 4.0 ICS, a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, LTE connectivity and a 7.1mm thin design there’s a lot to like about the new RAZR (you can see full specs here), but we have to say that some of the devices we saw last week at CES 2012 have overshadowed this, one example of this is the Sony Xperia S and let’s not forget that there’s lots of hype surrounding the DROID RAZR MAXX release.

If you are not fond of the standard black design we can also reveal that from January 23 you will be able to also choose between white or purple variants, either way you get the beautiful-looking woven Kevlar battery cover. The image below (sourced from Droid-Life) shows the three color options which will soon be available, which color do you prefer?

You can see Verizon’s press release which revealed all of this information here, if you would prefer to buy it without a long-term commitment it will cost you $599.99 and will require a month-to-month price plan, contract customers should understand that a $350 early termination fee has been confirmed. If you don’t mind agreeing a two-year deal it will cost you at least $89.99 per month and that will give you the Nationwide Talk & Text 450 price plan (unlimited texts and 450 minutes) and 2GB of data. You can find out all you would ever need to know about Verizon cell phone plans here.

Despite the fact that we have seen more advanced alternatives to the DROID RAZR this week it is still a very formidable smartphone with an extremely desirable design – will you buy it? If so, which color will you choose?

When it was first announced to be headed across the pond at CES, AT&T was reported to be the exclusive carrier. Of course the question then followed from a lot of disappointed subscribers of other carriers concerning whether it would be headed to any other carrier in the US. Now new reports are suggesting that the Big Red Verizon Wireless is also to stock the tablet-smartphone hybrid as the Samsung Galaxy Journal, although nothing official has been announced yet.

According to the article we previously brought you about the Galaxy Note’s US launch, the date when it will be kicking off is thought to be February 14th. As the Examiner explains the evidence that the hybrid device is headed to Verizon comes from their trusted industry analyst, Paul Mueller who was the one who not only suggested the device was headed there but to Sprint also. He is also the person who believes there may be a name change when it does eventually launch.

The Galaxy Note is packing a 5.3” Super AMOLED D display and is described as being a high-powered mini-tablet. It comes equipped with a stylus and can also be used as a phone. If this news turns out to be true, and judging from the reliability of the source is most likely is, then T-Mobile look to be the only carriers that will miss out on this Android Powered goodness.

What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Note? Are you pleased it is heading to the US?

The team over at Engadget is reporting via the Verizon forums that many users of the carrier are experiencing trouble with their data connection. It seems the problem is widespread with many unhappy Verizon subscribers reporting an issue with the carrier’s mobile data network.

Based on the carriers own Twitter feed and forums it seems that both the 3G and 4G networks are affected with the outage. After doing some tests in the San Francisco area by the Engadget team it was found that the data connections were unavailable.

Currently Verizon have not commented on the issue at the time of writing. There have been similar issues this year with the Verizon network, and back in April the carrier had issues that only affected its 4G network. We will update you when any new news becomes available.

Have you experienced issues in your area?

The Verizon support team on Twitter has admitted that they are currently investigating a Galaxy Nexus signal strength problem following multiple reports of signal-related issues. Sadly we don’t know exactly when a fix will arrive, but at least we know that a software update is being developed.

Someone who has been affected by the signal strength issue has been posting updates on the situation on Twitter, you can see his feed here. He claims that -93 dBa is as good as it gets for him and he often only has 2 bars of signal, in fact 3 bars have only flashed up once and he has never seen 4 bars. At first you would be forgiven for thinking that he lives in a low-signal area, but Verizon has told him that he is in range of two different towers – he lives in Roanoke, Virginia.

If you are pretty clued up in terms of cellphone technology you may find a recent AnandTech article pretty interesting, it is titled “Investigating the Galaxy Nexus LTE Signal Issue”. What’s interesting is that a photo of the Droid Charge side-by-side with the Galaxy Nexus (both connected to Verizon’s LTE network) shows that they connect at roughly 107-108 dBm, however the Droid Charge’s signal-strength indicator shows this as 4 out of 5 bars, whilst the Galaxy Nexus’ signal-strength indicator shows this as very low 4G signal. Could this mean that some issues which are being reported are simply the result of a more accurate signal reading? It sure looks that way….

It will be interesting to see how much of a change the upcoming Verizon Galaxy Nexus update will make, for now let us know if you are disappointed with your Galaxy Nexus’ signal strength in the comments section below. Perhaps you live in Roanoke, if so, what are your speeds like?