Droid (Sholes) - 7/17 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

Motorola DROID 3 Now Available At Verizon For $199

Posted by David Ruddock in Droid 3, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

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.

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.

Jun

Download: Official DROID Charge Gingerbread Leak - Complete With Netflix Compatibility

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Charge (i510), Gingerbread 2.3, News, Samsung, Tips & Tutorials

Update 2: SMS send and receive and mobile hotspot are non-working. Do not download this file (the link has been removed) - wait until a more stable release is available. If you need to flash back to Froyo, please check out this thread on MyDroidWorld.

Update: HDMI-out functionality appears to be non-functional in this update build.

Disclaimer: This article contains very device-specific flashing instructions. Read them carefully. We are not responsible for any damage, bricking, loss of data, or inadvertent explosions resulting from your attempts to flash this update onto your DROID Charge. Proceed 100% at your own risk.

Jun

[Deal Alert] DROID Charge Now Just $129.99 At Wirefly On New 2-Year Agreement

Posted by David Ruddock in Charge (i510), Deals, News, Tips & Tutorials

I'm not a big fan of the DROID Charge, but hey, to each his own. And apparently consumers haven't been such huge fans of the phone's notoriously high original MSRP ($300 on upgrade or new agreement), making it the most expensive subsidized Android phone to date.

Well, Wirefly has started playing hardball, and after having dropped the Charge down to $180 a month or so back, they've gone price-slashing yet again: you can now pick up the Samsung DROID Charge for $129.99 on a new Verizon account with a 2-year agreement, or when you add a line to your existing plan (sorry, it's still $200 if you want to upgrade).

Jun

[Video] DROID Incredible 2 Bootloader Unlocked [S-OFF] By AlphaRev Team

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, HTC, Incredible 2 (Vivow), News, Videos

Well, that was pretty fast, actually. The DROID Incredible 2 has successfully been unlocked by AlphaRev - that means 100% rooted and (soon) ROM-ready. Instructions and a download will follow soon - so hold tight, we'll keep you updated on this one.

YouTube

Jun

[Pictures] DROID Bionic Will Be Shipping With Android 2.3.4, Has A Gigantic 4.5" Screen

Posted by David Ruddock in Bionic, Gingerbread 2.3, Motorola, News, Rumors, Verizon Wireless

You saw some of the leaked Bionic pictures earlier today, but now thanks to PhoneHK we can give you even more information about the upcoming monster of a Motorola handset. First and foremost, this thing will (at least according to this test unit) be running Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread right out of the gate:

That's a relief. If the Bionic had shipped with Froyo, Motorola might have had a user rebellion on its hands. What other goodies were revealed by the generous leaker about the Bionic?

4.5" qHD display
8MP rear camera, 1080p video recording, plus front-facing camera
WebTop dock accessory
Brand-new BLUR
1750mAh battery (that's large)

You can see some of the new BLUR in action below in various screenshots, including a translucent notification bar and 3D homescreen previews:

Not bad, Motorola, not bad.

Jun

[Mr. Blurrycam] Rumor: Is This The New DROID Bionic? Sure Looks Like It

Posted by David Ruddock in Bionic, Motorola, News, Rumors

After digging through a pile of pictures from the Chinese website Moto.it, a tipster at MobileGearz discovered what appear to be leaked shots of the upcoming Motorola DROID Bionic. So, without further ado, here they are:

Yep, that's a Webtop dock you're seeing. Not to mention a completely new and revamped version of BLUR, Motorola's generally hated UI overlay. I have to admit, this version of BLUR actually borders on attractive. It's no Sense, but compared to the current state of affairs on Motorola's latest devices, it's a quantum leap forward.

You'll also notice that the phone itself looks almost nothing like the Bionic we saw at CES in January.

May

Rooted Droid X Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) Update Now Available To Download And Install

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Development, Droid X (Shadow), Gingerbread 2.3, Verizon Wireless

In typical speedy fashion, the official Gingerbread update for the Motorola Droid X has already been rooted and mirrored for mass consumption. Two versions are available, as is usual for releases of this nature: odexed and deodexed. The instructions aren't exactly simple, and you have to know what ROM and version you're currently running in order to properly update (then again, chances are that if you're rooted and ROMed in the first place, you probably already know those details).

To download, head on over to MyDroidWorld and follow the steps appropriate for you. As always, be careful and make sure you're following the proper instructions before flashing, lest you end up with an expensive paperweight.

May

[Review] Motorola DROID X2: Even Raw Horsepower Can't Save This Phone From Mediocrity

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Droid X2, Motorola, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Update: June 4, 2011 - I've taken an awful lot of flak for this review (and that's fine). I stand by the review because I can't honestly recommend this phone in good conscience. With that in mind, I realize that not everyone may share my opinions, and that's why I suggest potential purchasers go and take a look at it to see if they will notice the screen issues as much as I do.

Further, a lot of you seem to think I was using or inspecting the phone in a critical way; this was not the case. I noticed the screen and performance issues immediately and continuously under normal use conditions.

May

[Unboxing & Initial Hands-On] Motorola Droid X2: Twice The Cores, Same Great Taste

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Droid X2, News, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

The Motorola Droid X2 has only been out for a day now - and still can't be purchased via Verizon brick-and-mortars yet- but we've already managed to land one for review. I haven't had much time with it, but I do have some unboxing and hands-on pictures to go along with the initial impressions.

I'm not going to run through the unboxing in words because... well, it's me taking something out of a box.

The first impression: it feels light. Not quite as light as the Droid Incredible 2 (4.78oz), but at 5.47oz it's certainly lighter than my daily ~~brick~~driver EVO (6oz.).

May

Motorola DROID X2 Rooted Via Gingerbreak - Well, That Was Easy

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Droid X2, News, Tips & Tutorials, Verizon Wireless

Well, that's the easy part done. The DROID X2 has been rooted, huzzah! The device was found to be vulnerable to one of the known root exploits out there (Gingerbreak) - apparently Moto couldn't be bothered to patch up the hole (the fix has been backported to 2.2 from AOSP, according to our own Justin Case.) This hasn't been fully confirmed yet, but it seems plausible, given that all previous Motorola Froyo builds have been susceptible to this exploit.