Motorola XOOM owners who want to take advantage of the promised 4G LTE upgrade can finally begin to do so beginning Thursday. Once a customer signs up to receive the upgrade, Verizon Wireless will send the shipping instructions along with a box. The option is free and Verizon Wireless said changes to data plans are not required. Verizon also advises that XOOM owners back up their devices before sending them in for the upgrade. The process is expected to take six business days. Verizon Wireless also announced on Wednesday that it will begin to sell the Motorola XOOM with 4G LTE pre-installed for $499.99 starting October 13th. Read on for the full press release.

MOTOROLA XOOM 4G LTE UPGRADE AVAILABLE TOMORROW

Upgrade to Add the Speed of the Largest 4G LTE Network in America

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced the Motorola XOOM 4G LTE upgrade will be available for existing Motorola XOOM customers beginning tomorrow. The Motorola XOOM 4G LTE will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning Oct. 13 for $499.99 with a new two-year contract.

Starting tomorrow, Motorola XOOM customers can visit www.verizonwireless.com/Xoom4GLTEupgrade for complete instructions and to begin the 4G LTE upgrade process. Customers who signed up for email alerts will receive an email notification with instructions tomorrow. Customers should expect to get their updated Motorola XOOM with 4G LTE back in approximately six business days. The 4G LTE upgrade is free of charge and customers do not have to change their current data plan when upgrading to 4G LTE.  Customers are encouraged to back up any personal information prior to shipping.

Faster speeds and connections enhance the Motorola XOOM experience, allowing customers to download songs in seconds and movies in minutes. Customers should expect average download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G LTE mobile broadband coverage areas.  When customers travel outside of a 4G LTE coverage area, the Motorola XOOM automatically connects to the Verizon Wireless 3G network, enabling customers to stay connected from coast to coast.

Key features:
·         10.1-inch widescreen HD display
·         32 GB built-in storage (actual formatted capacity is less), with microSD card slot supporting additional 32 GB
·         Android™ 3.2 Honeycomb – supports Google™ Mobile Services including Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk™, Google Search™, Google Maps™, Google Movies™, Google Books™ and Android Market™
·         Dual-core 1 GHz processor
·         Adobe® Flash® 10- enabling the delivery of rich Flash based web content including videos, casual games and applications
·         2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats over 4G LTE, 3G and WiFi
·         5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash
·         Wi-Fi networks are generally short ranged and provide wireless Internet access to localized public areas (often called hotspots) such as airports, hotels, and coffee shops.

Data plans:
·         Motorola XOOM customers will have the option to choose one of the following mobile broadband data plans:
o   $30 monthly access for 2GB monthly allowance
o   $50 monthly access for 5GB monthly allowance
o   $80 monthly access for 10GB monthly allowance

For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Visit www.verizonwireless.com/4GLTE for more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.

Sprint on Wednesday announced that its upcoming flagship Android smartphone, the HTC EVO 4G LTE, will become available on May 18th for $199.99 on contract. While Sprint doesn’t yet have a nationwide 4G LTE network to support the new One-series smartphone, subscribers will find plenty of cutting-edge technology to tide ...

T-Mobile has acknowledged internally that Apple’s iPhone offers a “poor customer experience” on its network, but the nation’s No.4 carrier is working as quickly as it can to change that. The company announced this past February that it will be performing upgrades to its network that bring faster data speeds to ...

Following AT&T’s failed attempt to acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion, AT&T had to pay a lofty break-up fee as per the terms of its agreement. AT&T’s related expenses totaled $4 billion, and included in that sum was the transfer of AWS spectrum licenses to T-Mobile in ...

Sprint’s highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus is no longer available for pre-order after initial stock sold out this week. Pre-order availability began just this past Monday, and Sprint’s pre-sales launch inventory was depleted by Thursday evening. It is difficult to gauge demand since the number of Galaxy Nexus handsets Sprint had ...

4G LTE devices are apparently so hot this year, Sprint is selling LTE phones without a network to support them. Sales of 4G-equipped smartphones, tablets, portable hotspots and other devices are set to explode in 2012 as carriers continue to expand 4G coverage and roll out new networks. In a recent ...

The four major carriers in the United States — Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — all advertise some form of 4G technology, whether it is LTE, WiMAX or HSPA+, and each company claims to have either the most reliable, biggest, fastest or best network. PCWorld put the carriers claims ...

Sprint announced last week that pre-orders for one of its first 4G LTE-enabled smartphones were going live on April 12th, and now the carrier has made launch details official. LG’s affordable Viper 4G LTE will become available in just over a week on April 22nd for $99.99 on contract. While ...