James Pilcher from Man of the House highlights a few of his favorite devices for the holiday season.

You may think you have the most advanced phone on the market, but give it a week and that “new” smartphone will be upstaged by something even smarter. The cellular market has been flooded with new gadgets this season, and it seems like every brand has revamped, renewed and overhauled their designs, introducing something new to consumers. While there are hundreds of new phones to talk about, I picked out a few of my favorites, just in time for the holidays.

HTC Rhyme

OK, fellas—you want to go tech but also be a hero to your lovely spouse? GET THIS PHONE!

It is a fully functional (and powerful) Android smartphone. But it is designed for women. And I don’t just mean pretty colors (although, amazingly, the test unit sent by Verizon Wireless matched my wife’s purse).

This one is functionally designed for women with one of the more ingenious things I’ve seen in a while. It’s called “charm”—which is basically a corded light that hangs outside a purse and lights up when a call or message comes in. It plugs into the headphone jack and hangs outside the purse.

Read the rest on the Man of the House site.

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Rob Boggan from Nerd News checks out the new HTC Rezound.

Let’s face it. Android phones are slowly and methodically taking over the world. No matter where you look, there’s an Android phone in the lineup and there’s no end in sight. It seems like everyday the latest and greatest Android phone is being revealed, only to be one upped shortly by the next great green hope. Hopefully that isn’t the same fate that will befall the HTC Rezound, which is the first US smartphone to ship with the newly purchased BEATS audio on board. Packing Sense 3.5 and Android 2.3, does the Rezound have enough to stand out from the crowd, or does it simply fall in place behind the Droid RAZR, and later the Galaxy Nexus? Read on to find out…..

Everything about the body of the HTC Rezound speaks volumes about HTC’s attention to detail. The whole phone is coated with a dark, soft touch black material, surrounded with deep red highlights throughout the phone. Even the navigation buttons are tinted a very deep red to accentuate the presence of BEATS audio.

Read the rest of the review on the Nerd News site.

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David Novak from The Gadget Guy reviews the Motorola Droid Bionic and includes some great pics of the device and a video.

While the Motorola Droid Bionic took an eternity to get here, it does have some things about it that were worth the wait. While it’s not the first dual-core phone out there, nor the first Verizon 4G LTE on the shelves, the fact that it does have those qualities along with HD video recording, HDMI port, and a gorgeous 4.3-inch qHD display, the Droid Bionic is setting many a benchmark.

Star Rating:
Cost: $299 with 2-year contract, $699 no contract
Where to buy: Amazon

The hardware is slim and sleek.  Verizon says that the Droid Bionic is its thinnest 4G LTE device yet. Also, while there are many dual-core smartphones and Verizon 4G LTE handsets on the market, the Droid Bionic is the first to have both. Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread is awesome as well, with user interface and layouts much more intuitive and fun to use.

Read the rest of the review on The Gadget Guy’s site.

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77 Percent of Job Seekers Use Mobile Job Search Apps – INFOGRAPHIC

Each week, we share a collection of Verizon news and stories from your neighborhood that you may have missed in the past week. Here’s what’s new with Verizon in the Midwest from the week of November 21.

ILLINOIS / WISCONSIN REGION

Why the Droid Bionic? Because Faster is Better – www.valpolife.com – Valparaiso, IN (November 28)

The Droid Bionic, available through Verizon, is one of the few smartphones on the market to sport the 1GHz dual-core processor, making the phone arguably more powerful than the desktop computer that got me through my 2008 graduation at Purdue… I would strongly suggest someone in the market for a new cell phone to try out the Droid Bionic and see what it can do for you. If you’re looking for something that works well and looks better, the Droid Bionic is right for you!

Holiday Gift Guide at Verizon Wireless - WMTV-TV – Madison, WI (November 27)

Anchor Barclay Pollack interviewed Fitchburg Verizon Wireless store manager Aaron Midthun to take a look at some of the hottest devices available as gifts and stocking stuffers for the holiday season. The two looked at the Droid Razr, MotoActiv, HTC Rezound, the 4G LTE MiFi and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with its keyboard docking station.

KANSAS / MISSOURI REGION

Smartphones helpful for Cyber Monday Shopper – www.ksdk.com – St. Louis, MO (November 28)

Shawn Fields, retail manager, joined KSDK-NBC’s “Today in St. Louis” morning show to offer some tips on how smartphones can be helpful for those Cyber Monday deal-seeking shoppers. In this clip, Fields is interviewed by news anchor Pat McGonigle.

What Can Your iPhone Do? – www.youtube.com – Leawood, KS (November 22)

Earlier this month, a Johnson County Community College reporter interviewed DJ Duran, Verizon store manager, about the iPhone 4S. Her interview was posted on YouTube last week. The segment featured her interview with Duran and showcased the iPhone 4S features.

 OHIO / WEST VIRGINIA / PENNSYLVANIA REGION

iPhone Reception Tested on Verizon, Sprint and AT&T at Four Northeast Ohio Colleges – www.newsnet5.com – Cleveland, OH (November 21)

Can you hear me now? How about now? Reception is one of those annoying problems you have to get used to with a cell phone. We found a secret code that tests a phone’s reception, and used it in four Northeast Ohio locations to see which carrier came out on top in our test. “I never have a connection,” Jasmine Elder said. Elder’s bad connection with the cell tower causes dropped calls, and impacts data download speeds.

Verizon Wireless Goes Social This Black Friday – www.gizmofusion.com (November 23)

Verizon Wireless will be having some deals this Black Friday. A full list is available at their Tumblr. However, one in particular really stood out to me. Hit the break for a deal! We are all on social networking, so why not actually benefit from doing it for once? VZW is going to give us that chance! Below is a special deal for those who don’t want to stand in line at midnight, but still want to get something good. Facebook and Foursquare customers who check-in when they visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store between Nov. 25 and 27 and check in via Facebook® or Foursquare will receive a $30 discount off a Jawbone® Icon™ Bluetooth® headset, regularly priced at $99.99. Once checked in, customers will be directed to a discount code on their device and will only need to show a Verizon Wireless representative the code to redeem the discount.

GREAT PLAINS REGION

Black Friday Shopping Apps – www.kimt.com – Mason City, IA (November 23)

Black Friday shopping … there’s an app for that. There’s actually a lot of ways your smartphone or tablet can help you shop and find the best deals. Twenty seven percent of Smartphone users plan to use their devices to help them shop on Friday. You can also create budgets and compare prices by scanning bar codes. Verizon store manager Tim Noble says, “That’s the appeal with any of our smartphones that we offer or our tablets now. The information, you have it on the go, in your fingertips everywhere you go.”

Black Friday Mobile Apps – www.kstp.com – Twin Cities, MN (November 24)

As major retailers prepare for Black Friday shopping hours and people plan their strategies, smartphones and tablets are sure to make this year’s Black Friday shopping easier to navigate than ever. While Verizon Wireless may not be able to help push through the crowds, they can provide the tools to make the most of your shopping experience. For everything from list creation to receipt filing, the apps below, available for both iPhone and Android devices, feature the best tools to help break through the clutter this Black Friday.

MICHIGAN / INDIANA / KENTUCKY REGION

Do You Use a Smartphone? – WFIA-FM – Louisville, KY (November 25)

During your shopping today, just how often did you use that smartphone? They come in handy. It’s amazing, all your phone can do to make life easier. If you’re smart like me, you have Verizon Wireless. And during December, Verizon has some workshops to help you … in both Louisville and Clarksville. I’m seriously considering the Galaxy Tab. Workshops are free, but you need to reserve.

It’s a Smartphone and a Playstation All in One – www.freeismylife.com – Detroit, MI (November 21)

My son has been one happy kid for the past couple of months. That is because Verizon loaned him a Sony Ericsson Experia PLAY smartphone to review. Verizon wanted to see how technology like smartphones affect the lives of school children and my lucky kid was asked to be a reviewer.

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