14
Jul
DSCN1086
Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

I'm fairly certain that I don't need to tell anyone about the impact the original DROID had on Google's mobile OS. It almost single-handedly brought Android to the masses, saved Motorola from bankruptcy, and made Verizon's then-stale smartphone line-up interesting once more.

Then there was the DROID 2. While it was by no means a bad phone, it would be difficult to argue that it carried the same significance as its predecessor - not to mention its locked bootloader and the godawful addition of Ninjablur.

Well here we are, just about one year later, with yet another iteration in the DROID series: the DROID 3.

14
Jul
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What day is it? Technically, you'd be correct if you answered "Thursday" or "July 14th," but in the smartphone realm? Why, today is the DROID 3's official release date, of course!

Now, the phone has been available from VZW's website for just about a week now, but if you have an eye for deals, you'll have steered clear of that venue and instead held out hope that some third-party retailer would be able to offer the device for less than $199.99. And today that wish has become reality - Wirefly has put up a product page for the DROID 3, and assuming that you'll be picking it up with a new two-year contract, the handset can be yours for just $149.99.

07
Jul
Solano_Front_1, 3/8/11, 10:28 AM,  8C, 4200x2400 (832+2712), 100%, bent 6 adjuste,  1/15 s, R63.9, G48.0, B75.7

Yep, you read that right - you can pick up a DROID 3 right now from Verizon's online store, complete with free overnight shipping for $199 on a new 2-year agreement or eligible upgrade. If you're a new customer planning to switch to Verizon (or planning to add a line), it's worth noting that you'll be subject to Verizon's new tiered data plans as of today. You can also buy it off contract, and it's not too expensive, either - it'll cost you $460 commitment-free.

Solana_FrontHorOpen_1, 3/9/11, 9:48 AM,  8C, 3900x3300 (1147+2393), 100%, bent 6 adjuste,  1/15 s, R63.9, G48.0, B75.7

If you're getting the D3 on an eligible upgrade, there's no need to worry - you can keep your all-you-can-eat unlimited data, unless you're coming from a featurephone data plan, in which case you'll be forced into tiered data as well.

06
Jul
droid3-official

Those (im)patiently awaiting the upcoming launch of the DROID 3 now have even more info on what to expect: thanks to Droid Life, we now know what the phone's pricing will look like, both on- and off-contract.

If you're cool with signing a new two-year agreement, you'll be paying the now-standard price of $199. Alternatively, if the shackles of a contract are enough to scare you away, you could purchase the phone off-contract for the fairly reasonable price of $459 (I say "fairly reasonable" since other carriers, such as Sprint, happily charge over $600 for an contract-free phone).

Droid Life says that "direct fill orders" (though we haven't a clue what that means) will begin tonight around midnight EST, and if the latest round of rumors is to be believed, you'll be able to pick up a DROID 3 starting July 14th.

04
Jul
motorola-logo

Well, isn't this interesting... it appears that Android Central has gotten a hold of a leaked screen with some pretty promising release dates for some highly anticipated phones, including the Motorola Droid Bionic. Let's push that one of to the side for just a moment though and address the first phone on the list: the Droid 3.

We've basically known everything there is to know about the D3 for a while. This image echoes the previously rumored July 14th release date, so I will be really surprised if we don't see the newest Droid incarnation hit the Big Red sales floor in a week-and-a-half.

24
Jun
motorola-logo

If there is anything that we don't know about the Motorola Droid 3 at this point, it's the release date. That last bit of the puzzle looks to have been found by Droid Attic though, as they have gotten a hold of an internal image from Best Buy that suggests a July 14th release date.

droid_3_release_date_droidattic

That release date is one week after VZW's rumored transition from unlimited to tiered data, so if you're thinking about making the switch to Big Red for this phone, get ready to watch those MBs closely.

[Droid Attic via Engadget]

15
Jun
motorola-logo

Rumors come and go everyday in the tech world, and some just don't make any sense. This one falls directly into that category, as the word on the street is that Motorola will not be releasing the Droid/Milestone 3 in the UK. There is no reason or justification as to why Moto may have made this decision, but (of course) there is speculation. UK tech blog Clove thinks that it could be because of the lackluster sales of the Milestone 2, or perhaps there just isn't much of a market for slide-out QWERTY devices, citing the demise of the HTC Desire Z in the UK as reasoning.

13
Jun
milestone3-10

The DROID 3, like the DROID 2, has been pretty lax about showing itself off prior to any sort of official announcement from Motorola. Today, the DROID 3 has been all but fully revealed by a member over at XDA China. Two things from that post immediately caught our attention: a qHD Pentile display, and 512MB of RAM. Both of them should make you queasy.

We aren't big fans of Moto's Pentile qHD displays, particularly as it appeared on the DROID X2. If your vision is good, and you hold your phone at a normal distance from your face (read: about one foot - not three), Pentile looks like crap - there's little argument.

05
Jun
image
Last Updated: June 6th, 2011

Not much was known for a fact about the next crown jewel in the Droid line of Android phones that played a such a crucial part in the growth of the OS in the past 2 years. We had a suspicion that it would have a 4" screen, lose "the lip," and gain a dual-core CPU and a front-facing camera, all while bearing the name Droid 3, but no concrete proof of any of those.

A series of Droid 3 training videos surfaced today, well ahead of the device's release, which is rumored to be sometime this summer. The videos clearly show and confirm a larger form factor with curvier lines (4" sounds about right now), an 8MP HD camera that is capable of 1080P video recording, an updated version of MOTOBLUR (just look at that lock screen), a 5-row keyboard with a dedicated number row, and an HDMI output.

28
Apr
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Well, I can honestly say that I didn't expect to be typing this today. It looks like things may be starting to unfold with the Bionic/Targa drama - as in, the Bionic may not be the Targa at all. Now you're curious, right? Allow me to explain, but keep in mind that this is all speculation.

We all know that manufacturers use code names for their devices. For example, the original Droid was codenamed "Sholes" while the EVO was called "Supersonic" during its testing phase. Several weeks ago, we saw some leaked images that were supposed to be the Motorola Droid 3, which suggested a codename of "Solana".

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