Entertainment

Besides music, Verizon's VCAST network offers a wide array of video, games and applications through its Get it Now services.

For an added subscription fee, users can stream videocasts in sports, news, entertainment and weather, from media outlets like CNN, ESPN and Comedy Central. Verizon's network features over 30 channels. For a $15 monthly access fee, subscribers can receive unlimited access to more than 300 video clips daily. Users also have the ability to receive daily feeds from certain channels and receive text alerts when new content arrives.

Video isn't the only application to keep Ve owners glued to their phone screens. The phone comes loaded with two games, Pac Man and Texas Hold'em. While these old favorites will no doubt eat up hours of battery life, serious gamers will want to download the latest BREW games such as "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Reminiscent of 80s console games, users beware: while most games are billed on a per-download basis, some games require air time to play.

The Ve tops off its VCAST offerings with practical applications such as the GPS-capable VZ Navigator that provides real-time, voice-prompted directions and auto-rerouting if users miss a turn. VZ Navigator gives customers access to a wide array of Location Based Services (LBS) options, including mapping, audible turn-by-turn navigation and the ability to find over 14 million points of interest. It requires a $9.99 fee for unlimited monthly access, or $2.99 for 24-hour use.

Internet

The MAXX Ve connects to the Internet on Verizon's EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) network, which offers download rates of up to 300 to 500 kbps.

EV-DO allows Verizon subscribers to stream VCAST services at near-broadband speeds and keep connected to the internet through Verizon's news, entertainment, sports and weather channels as well as dozens of downloadble applications that bring Web pages to their phones.

Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL account holders can access their email on the go with Verizon's Web 2.0 service, which is available for an additional monthly charge, plus airtime charges.

Compared to the EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) networks employed by GSM networks such as T-Mobile and AT&T, Verizon's EV-DO network is significantly faster. However, GSM carriers such as AT&T have begun upgrading existing networks to the newer HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology, capable of transferring at blazing speeds of 3.6 Mbps; putting the Ve's transfer capabilities in the middle of the pack.

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