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Sep

Motorola DROID RAZR M Review: This Is What Budget Phones Are Like Now? Where Do I Sign Up?

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Motorola, News, RAZR M, Reviews

Last Updated: September 15th, 2012

"The new Motorola starts today." That was new CEO Dennis Woodside's proclamation during the unveiling of the new RAZRs, and I think that statement gives away a little more than intended. Smartphone development takes the good part of a year, so they're implicitly admitting that these phones were made by someone else. That "someone else" being the old Motorola.

Yes, Google's deal to buy Motorola was announced a little over a year ago, but, thanks to all the regulatory bodies around the world that had to approve the deal, Google has only been in charge of Motorola for about three months.

Jan

Google Requires OEMs To Include The Stock Set Of UI Widgets In All Ice Cream Sandwich Devices, Developers Can Stop Skins From Messing With Their Apps

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Android OS, Applications, Development, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

We are going to need some restraint and careful explanation for this one.

Google is making life a little easier for developers. Today a post on the official Android Developers Blog announced a new rule for OEMs that insist on skinning Ice Cream Sandwich: You must also include the unmodified ICS "Holo" Theme files. Regular users still have to deal with a skinned OS, but developers can opt out of the skinned parts for their app. Observe:

This is what developers currently have to deal with. Apps will look wildly different depending on what skin your phone has. On the left is Motoblur, on the right is stock ICS. It's the same APK, but everything looks different because apps take many parts of their UI from the OS.

Sep

[Editorial] Let Android Be Android: One Year Later

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Editorials

Introduction

It's now been exactly a year (minus one day) since I published my very first editorial for Android Police, Let Android Be Android. A lot has changed since - dual-core CPUs are now table stakes for a high-end smartphone; Android has evolved from an exclusively mobile OS to a software powerhouse for phones and tablets alike; and we've been given several seminars on stretching the truth about the speed of a wireless network (yep, that would be the "4G" drama).

Sadly, one thing has remained almost entirely stagnant: the diminutive amount of vanilla Android devices on the market. In fact, it would be more than accurate to say that the skin situation has been exacerbated since my article on it last year.

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

Motorola Droid 3 Shows Off Its Updated Looks And Hardware In 3 Leaked Videos

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Droid 3, News

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.

Apr

Motorola Rolls Out Froyo For Bravo - Users Applaud

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in Android OS, AT&T, Bravo, Carriers, Devices By Manufacturer, Froyo 2.2, Motorola, News

'Tis the weekend for Android device updates: unwilling to let European Samsung Galaxy S owners have all the fun, Motorola announced yesterday that Android 2.2 for the Blur-packing Bravo had begun rolling out in phases. They neglected to elaborate on how exactly these phases are structured, so unfortunately, we don't have much in the way of specific ETA's, but it's likely that you'll seen an update hit your device in the next few days.

Moto was kind enough to detail what exactly this update will change: (click to enlarge, or hit the release notes down below)

As an interesting aside, it's been barely 10 days since Motorola originally put out the call for users that would like to test the software, so I'm surprised it was released so soon.

Apr

One Size Does Not Fit All: Andy Rubin Responds To Recent Cases Of Misinformation And FUD In The Press

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, News

Android In Recent News

Fragmentation has been one of the biggest criticisms of the Android platform. Essentially, Google allows anybody to take the Android code and tweak it suit their own needs. This is how manufacturers like Motorola, HTC, and Samsung are able to create custom layers (MotoBlur, Sense UI, and TouchWiz, respectively) over the vanilla Android interface and how some carriers load up new phones with crapware. Although this is a price to pay for openness and customizability, a recent study indicates that 86% of developers are unhappy with the state of Android fragmentation (24% of them describing it as a "huge problem").

Mar

Rumor: Motorola Is Developing Its Own Mobile OS, Android "Shooting Itself In The Foot"

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Motorola, News

In what can only be described as a truly "WTF" moment, an inside source has informed Information Week that Motorola is in the process of developing its own web-based mobile OS. The question everyone is undoubtedly wants to ask is "why?"

The insider cites Motorola's frustration with Google's support of manufacturers, Android's fragmentation problems, and the difficulty of product differentiation in an Android-saturated smartphone market. These things together, says the tipster, have led Moto to believe Google is "shooting itself in the foot." The source of this rumor cites the fact that Motorola has quietly been picking up numerous former Apple and Adobe employees to work on the project over the past few months.

Feb

[Updated] AT&T Officially Reveals Release Date, Pricing Details For Motorola Atrix 4G: $200 On Contract, $500 With Laptop Dock

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), Motorola

We're hearing quite a bit of news about the Atrix 4G today, and from all over the web, no less. First and foremost, AT&T has officially revealed that the Atrix will go on sale March 6, for $200 with a two-year contract. Electronista is reporting that you can buy it bundled with the laptop dock for $500; if you choose to buy the phone first (for $200) and the dock at a later date, you'll still end up paying $500 for the dock (bringing your total to $700).

Update: Official press release from AT&T, which also introduces the Entertainment Access Kit, is now included below.

Jan

Motorola's Atrix 4G Promo Video Makes Me Want One Even More

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), News, Videos

As I've said a few times previously here, I'm buying an Atrix 4G. I will be patiently waiting outside the Santa Monica AT&T store on that fateful February morning, Peet's coffee in hand, alternatively staring blankly into the store's glass and fiddling with my Nexus One. I'll probably be one of a few people there, but that's ok - I'm not a big fan of crowds.

But the battle only begins at the door. I will have to threaten (convincingly) to cancel my contract so that I can get a slightly earlier upgrade window than my agreement currently permits, (I'm not due for an upgrade until April) and pay an extra 50 dollars for the early upgrade fee.