The new 4G Droid was supposed to be released this week.
But then a funny thing happened. Verizon’s 4G network was completely crippled all across the country. It was impossible to activate any new 4G phones.
So now the carrier has pushed back the launch of the Droid Charge – its second 4G phone after the Thunderbolt – to May 3. Customers who happened to get an order in before the outage and received the device in the mail can activate it now, but were unable to do so when they actually received the device.
Samsung, the manufacturer of the Droid Charge, is none too happy that Verizon’s high-speed network went dark at the same time as the phone’s launch. Samsung had poured a lot of money into advertising campaigns for the phone.
The Droid Charge is the first 4G device to carry Verizon’s ultra powerful “Droid” name, and it’s seen as a critical step in the carrier’s 4G repertoire.
It looks like this was just a case of really bad timing. Verizon’s network was down for just over 24 hours and that happened to be right when the Charge was due for release. Customers who ordered online before the outage are still receiving the device, but stores will not be selling them until they’re sure the 4G network is good to go.
New online orders for the phone are said to be shipping on May 3.
