Some Droid X Handsets Suffering from Screen Defect; Verizon Offers Fix

Yes, not every phone is perfect. And while the Droid X is going under every sites check list, some handsets are suffering from something more serious than sub-par software: a major defect in it’s 4.3 inch screen.

A small amount of early adopters have reported (and shown on YouTube) that either their screens will flicker at an amazingly fast (and unusable) rate, or the bottom half of the screen simply fails to show anything.

Verizon and Motorola have acknowledged that some handsets do have an issue, but it has already been fixed in units shipping currently. For those who are experiencing the issue, you can call Verizon and expect a replacement unit. “Motorola has resolved the issue and is continuing to ship the phones. Any consumer who experiences a flickering or banding display should contact a Motorola customer support center or Verizon Wireless,” a Verizon Wireless spokesperson told Engadget.

iPad Launches April 3rd, Verizon May Be After It

Apple has updated their iPad page to include it’s pre-order and launch date. Pre-orders will start on March 12th, and the device will arrive either in-store or delivered to your door. The iPad will be available in the US on Saturday, April 3, for Wi-Fi models and in late April for Wi-Fi + 3G models. In addition, all models of iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in late April.

Leaked documents have also shown that Verizon may be after the iPad to provide service, because the Wi-Fi versions are not specifically AT&T’s to sell. In other words, they don’t have exclusivity to the iPad as they did to the iPhone.

Verizon’s proposal comes with a tradeoff for customers. The company cites the $130 premium carried by 3G-capable iPad models, an upfront cost unnecessary for those customers sticking with Wi-Fi models for use with Verizon’s data plans. Alternatively, those customers could purchase a MiFi device for as little as $49.99 from Verizon, but that pricing requires a two-year data contract in comparison to the 3G-capable iPad’s contract-free data plan pricing. [MacRumors.com]

Verizon’s MiFi proposal does require, however, that users carry a separate device in addition to their iPad. And on the pricing front, the two-year MiFi contract is priced at $39.99 per month for 250 MB of data or $59.99 per month for 5 GB of data, significantly higher that AT&T’s contract-free iPad-only data plans priced at $14.99/250 MB or $29.99/unlimited per month.

Apple Invites You To “See It’s Latest Creation”

Apple sent out invitations today to it’s January 27th event. The invitations show some very colorful paint blobs, and reads “come see our latest creation”. This leads us to believe that whatever is unveiled will be extremely different and colorful.

In other Apple news, the App Store has now sold over 3 billion apps, and AT&T has lowered their pricing plans for the iPhone to match all of Verizon’s plans for their smart phones.

Palm Announces New WebOS Phones, More Serious Software

As Palm’s keynote finishes, we can start to understand just what their main goal was: upgrade, upgrade upgrade.

Not only did they announce TWO new phones, but they’ll also be some other… adjustments.

First off, the Pre is getting a makeover. The 2nd generation of the Pre will be available on Verizon and will be sporting a new slider (that reportedly makes the phone feel more snappy and solidly constructed), a new set of keys that are not orange (and possibly a bit more raised), and a new capacity of 16GB capacity. The Pixi didn’t get such a dramatic makeover. It only added itself to Verizon’s lineup with WiFi.

Elsewhere in the Palm universe, they’ve also announced a PDK (plugin developers kit) that’ll show itself in March (and support REAL 3D gaming), so game developers can get their product onto the WebOS. Until then, users will be able to play Need for Speed and the Sims 3 thanks to EA. These games will act just like other apps, so when you see a text message, you’ll still be able to view apps as cards, and the game will only pause. These other games were also added to the catalog today:

• Need for Speed(TM) Undercover (EA Mobile)
• The Sims(TM) 3 (EA Mobile)
• MONOPOLY(TM) (EA Mobile)
• Asphalt 5: Elite Racing (Gameloft)
• Let’s Golf! (Gameloft)
• Glyder 2 (Glu Mobile)
• X-Plane (Laminar Research)
• Tetris (R) (EA Mobile)
• Sudoku (EA Mobile)
• SCRABBLE (R) (EA Mobile)
• The Oregon Trail (Gameloft)
• Brain Challenge (Gameloft)

Palm also unveiled a “Mobile Hotspot” app, so that you can tether more than one computer to your phone for Verizon 3G connectivity. The app is subject to monthly charges (unless you have unlimited data).