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Come May 17 and Americans will be able to jump in the netbook phenomena at a pocket friendly price. Verizon Wireless will be offering 3G enabled HP Mini 1151NR netbook for as little as $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a 2 year mobile broadband plan. The local plans start from $39.99 that gives 250MB of free data transfer or a $59.99 plan with 5GB data transfer. Globetrotters can go for GlobalAccess plans that comes at a price of $129.99 or on pay-per-use model.

The netbook specs include – 10.1-inch screen (1024×576), 1.6GHz N270 processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB HDD, Windows XP OS, Qualcomm Gobi chipset, EV-DO Rev. A, webcam, USB and VGA-out ports and a card reader.

Apple is discussing the option of developing a customized iPhone for Verizon, sources close to the negotiations said.
The device would be the first iPhone developed for a code division multiple access wireless network, which allows phones to maintain their independence while operating on the same bandwidth. The AT&T system uses a GSM (global system for mobile) system, USA Today reported Monday.

Vodafone, co-owner of Verizon Wireless, already sells iPhones for Apple to the European market, the newspaper said.

Sources said the goal was to introduce the CDMA phones into the U.S. market next year. AT&T, meanwhile, has exclusive distribution rights in the United States through 2010, but details of that agreement are not public.

."Breaking the exclusivity with AT&T is a huge thing," said Roger Entner, a telecommunications research specialist at Nielsen.

"That would send shivers into AT&T's stock and senior leadership," he said.

With 80 million customers, Verizon, however, could be a big boost to Apple. But customers would also gain, Entner said.

"They could pick the network they wanted to use: AT&T's or Verizon's," he said. "It would finally give consumers choice, and choice is a good thing." (c) UPI

PhoneArena has posted few live pictures of new devices headed for Verizon. First up is Motorola’s Rival a445. Rival, as you can see, has a horizontal QWERTY keypad and Verizon is said to target youths by offering a bunch of color options. No word on other details but the phone will mostly have a 1.3 or 2MP camera.

Another phone is Alias 2 or U750 that features e-ink powered keypad. The phone according to their source performs well and the transformation of keys is smooth and flawless.

As we all knew, Verizon is now selling Samsung’s Alias 2 (U750) phone. If Magic keypad powered by E-Ink technology excites you, the phone goes for $80 with a 2 year contract and an online discount.

Amongst other things, it has a 2 megapixel camera, QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth with A2DP, V Cast Music and Videos, GPS, up to 16GB microSD card slot, EVDO and a 2.6-inch QVGA main display.