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Oct

GSM Version Of The DROID RAZR Spotted At FCC - Headed To AT&T Or US Regional Carriers

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, Carriers, News, RAZR / RAZR MAXX

The clever folks over at WirelessGoodness located an FCC filing today that indicates with a fair degree of certainty that a GSM version of the upcoming DROID RAZR is headed to either AT&T or US regional carriers, as the phone does not support T-Mobile frequencies. The filing doesn't say anything about the RAZR itself, but it does contain a part number matching the RAZR's unique non-removable battery, the first on a Motorola smartphone.

While the phone will likely be renamed for regional carriers or an AT&T release, there's every reason to think it'll otherwise be pretty much the same phone. In fact, with the LTE radio removed, the GSM version of the RAZR could be even thinner than it's already svelte 7.1mm Verizon sibling, due to come out early next month (November).

Oct

Case Review: OtterBox Commuter For The DROID BIONIC - If You Truly Need A Case, Buy This One

Posted by David Ruddock in Bionic, Motorola, Other Reviews, Reviews

I hate phone cases. When I bought my Nexus One back in March of 2010, the first thing I did with my very first smartphone was head over to Amazon and start searching for a cool and convenient way to protect it. So I bought some leather ordeal with a flip cover and all sorts of gimmickry, and I hated it. I used it for 2 days, and since then, it has occupied my box of unwanted electronics and related accessories. It was probably one of the worst $25 I ever spent. I swore off cases from that day forward.

Enter OtterBox.

Sep

Editorial: Is Samsung's Patent Licensing Deal With Microsoft The End Of Royalty-Free Android?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, HTC, LG, Motorola, News, Samsung

It certainly seems like it. Yesterday, Microsoft announced via blog that it had concluded negotiations with Samsung and reached a licensing deal for the same seven patents it previously licensed to HTC for Android (along with other, smaller Android manufacturers). There were rumblings about just what royalty rate Samsung is paying, but the guess is anywhere from $5 to $15 per handset (it's likely on a percentage-of-MSRP basis - so think about 1-3% per $500 MSRP phone).

When it comes to royalty agreements, rates are usually internally fixed regarding certain categories of IP to avoid confusion about damages in lawsuits, but when there are allegations of continued infringement, the game changes.

Sep

Deal Alert: Refurbished Motorola XOOM 32GB Wi-Fi For $355 Shipped

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, Motorola, XOOM

If you head over to woot.com this morning, you'll find refurbished Motorola XOOM 32GB Wi-Fi tablets are being tossed off for a mere $355 shipped - that's $50 less than the best deal we've seen previously for a non-refurb, but honestly, you probably won't even notice they aren't new.

That's quite a bit of tablet storage for a pretty reasonable price, so we're inclined to say this deal is indeed a good one. Head on over to woot! to pick one (or 4) up.

Woot! via Droid-life

Sep

Department Of Justice Taking A Second Look At Google-Moto Deal, Probably No Cause For Alarm

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Motorola, News

Over at Google's Public Policy Blog (yes, that really exists) today, Senior VP Dennis Woodside issued a statement that the U.S. Department of Justice was taking a "second look" at certain potential antitrust issues in the Google-Motorola deal. What's it mean?

A $12.5 billion acquisition of a major US company that has been independent for over 30 years is always going to invite scrutiny from Uncle Sam, and let's face it, it's probably not a bad sign that the government is batting a second eye at these kinds of purchases.

Google, according to the post as shown below, remains confident that the deal will go through, and is cooperating fully with the DoJ during this evaluation, one Google has undergone before.

Sep

Editorial: Was Google's Purchase Of Motorola More About Damage Control Than Patent Woes?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Motorola

If you head over to FOSSPatents this morning, you'll find a rather lengthy article about Google's acquisition of Motorola that ends with the following conclusion:

Google bought MMI to prevent the worst for Google's strategy, not to make things better for everyone else.

In a way, the $12.5 billion price represents protection money. But not in the way most people seem to think.

FOSSPatents

This statement is obviously contrary to the heaps of coverage the Motorola-Google deal received from major news outlets, blogs, and Android enthusiasts. Us included. This deal was to protect Android from the evils of Apple and Microsoft, with patents.

Sep

DROID BIONIC Review: This Is The Phone That The DROID X2 Should Have Been

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Bionic, Motorola, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

The DROID BIONIC has probably been the single most anticipated Android smartphone in the US. Since its unveiling at CES, subsequent total re-design, and sort-of-delayed release, it has been a long and winding road for Motorola's newest flagship handset. Verizon's massive marketing arm hasn't failed to promote this thing, either - walk into any Verizon store and you'll see employees garbed in BIONIC t-shirts, armed with BIONIC accessory display boxes and a tailor-made marketing spiel, ready to meet you with more LTE and dual-core madness than you can shake a stick at.

So, it's safe to say, this phone has spent extensive time in the hype machine.

Sep

And The Winner Of The Droid Bionic In The Giant Special Edition Giveaway #7 Is...

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Bionic, Contests / Giveaways

Last Updated: September 21st, 2011

With over 3800 entries from Facebook, Google+, and Twitter (in order of popularity), it's now time to conclude the 7th "special edition" giveaway and announce the winner of the brand new Droid Bionic, the lapdock, the HD docking station, and the Webtop adapter.

Before I move on to the winner, selected at random, I'd like to thank Android Stack Exchange for providing the prizes and an excellent platform for asking and getting quick answers to all your Android questions.

And now - the winner!

Unfortunately, since there is only 1 grand prize and over 3800 entries, the chance of winning one is...

Sep

Video: DROID BIONIC First Impressions

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Bionic, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless, Videos

I've had the BIONIC just about 24 hours now, and that's enough time to draw a few, basic conclusions about the phone. It's not sufficient for a full review, obviously, but if you're itching to know more about how using the BIONIC is from an Android addict's perspective, you might want to check out my first impressions video.

Basically, I discuss the phone's hand feel, display, performance, and a few other less noteworthy items. It's a bit more than you'll get from walking into a Verizon store and playing with a display model for 5 minutes, but it's a lot less than what you'll see in our full (and extensive) review, which should be coming some time in the next few days.

Sep

[Giant Giveaway #7: Special Edition] No, You Aren't Dreaming - Win A DROID BIONIC From Android Police And Stack Exchange

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Bionic, Contests / Giveaways, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: September 13th, 2011

Yep, you read that right - we're giving away a DROID BIONIC, and it's not even out yet (well, it will be in less than 24 hours), courtesy of the awesome folks over at Stack Exchange. Why? Because we want to help supercharge Stack's amazing Android Q&A site, Android Stack Exchange.

Android Stack Exchange, a child of the StackOverflow family of sites, is sort of like a dedicated Android Q&A Reddit + Wiki + FAQ for answering all your questions about everything Android. It really is pretty amazing, and unlike Stack Overflow, it's not aimed at developers - on the contrary, it's for users like me and you.