Motorola - 14/56 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

Wirefly Gets Touchy-Feely With The Droid 4 In A 13-Minute Video Overview

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Droid 4, Motorola, News, Videos

We can't wait for the Droid 4. In the world of smartphones, the QWERTY sliders are a rare and exotic breed these days. Catching a glimpse of a machine with powerful specs and a keyboard-shaped secret gets our mouths watering. So a thirteen minute video will naturally trigger some flood warnings. Wirefly goes hands-on with the Droid 4 in the first video ~~review~~ overview of the latest in the Droid series.

Here's a rundown of Wirefly lays out in the video:

4" 540x960 LCD display
5-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard
1.2Ghz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
LTE
8GB internal storage (expandable with microSD card)
8MP rear camera w/ 1080p HD video recording
1.3MP front camera
1785mAh battery
Android 2.3.5
Micro HDMI port
Ships with Android 2.3.5

The phone also gets put through some benchmark tests.

Feb

AT&T Motorola Atrix 2 Gets An Update To v55.13.25 - No, It's Not Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Atrix 2, Motorola, News

Motorola Atrix 2 owners on AT&T are receiving an OTA update to v55.13.25, by AT&T reckoning. In Android versions, that would be 2.3.6, so sorry - no Ice Cream Sandwich for you, yet. Before your hopes are completely dashed, though, here are the full release notes:

Camera: Enhancements to deliver better overall picture taking experience so you never miss a moment
Google Music: Addition of Google Music application so you have greater access to the world of music. Shop millions of songs and hundreds of free tracks. Store your purchases on Google Music for free, and listen instantly on your mobile device.

Feb

[Leak] Internal Verizon Doc Shows Droid 4 Set To Drop February 10th

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Droid 4, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

The Droid 4 is the latest iteration in the venerable Droid series. Sporting Motorola's new trademark slightly octagon-ish shape, a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, LTE, and an 8MP rear-shooter, this device brings the Droid series into the world of the future yet again. That future starts February 10th, if this leaked internal Verizon document is to be believed.

An anonymous, but trusted, source sent us this doc from Verizon's internal equipment guide that shows the Droid 4 will launch via all channels February 10th, 2012. Previous rumors have suggested a February 9th release date, and either date is plausible considering Verizon tends to prefer either Thursday or Friday device launches.

Jan

Motorola Releases More Details About The Dev RAZR Bootloader Unlock Process (And It's Not As Good As It Sounds)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, RAZR / RAZR MAXX

Over the weekend, we found out about Moto's upcoming dev-friendly version of the RAZR, its first device with an unlockable bootloader. What we didn't have, however, were any details about how the unlock process would work, how it would affect the warranty, and so on. Moto has now posted the details answering many of those exactly questions, and there's one thing for sure - it doesn't look like it's going to be as good as it sounds.

How it will work

Since this is a developer device, the process will be the exact same as the Nexus devices. It looks a little something like this (requires ADB):

Reboot into Fastboot Flash Mode by holding power+volume down.

Jan

Samsung Reinvents Average With the Galaxy S Advance - 1GHz Dual-Core Processor, 768MB Of RAM, And Gingerbread

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy S, News, Samsung

Did you think that the Galaxy S II was the follow-up to the widely-popular Galaxy S line of phones from Samsung? Think again! Samsung just announced the Galaxy S Advance, a dual-core, mid-range device sporting an HSPA+ radio and shipping with Gingerbread. The new phone also sports a curved display, which is quickly becoming a hallmark of Samsung phones.

The device isn't a wimp, by any means, but it's also not going to top any benchmarks, which places it firmly in the mid-range of devices, which is a curious position. The phone has 768MB of RAM instead of 1GB and a 5MP rear-shooter instead of an 8MP, but those minor spec differences aside (along with a couple other minor differences), the device is still only slightly behind major flagship phones.

Jan

[Updated] Motorola Announces "Developer Edition" RAZR With Unlockable Bootloader Headed To Europe And Another Unlockable Device For The U.S. Soon

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, Motorola, News, RAZR / RAZR MAXX

Motorola announced today through its official community blog that a RAZR "Developer Edition" (evidently based on the original Droid RAZR, not its newer MAXX counterpart) is in the works. The dev-friendly device will carry an unlockable bootloader and is poised to hit European markets relatively soon, with a (yet unspecified) unlockable device bound for the U.S. "in the coming months." Oddly enough, the blog post was pulled (perhaps it was published prematurely; Update: it's live once again), but luckily the text of the post has been retained:

New Motorola RAZR™ Developer Edition will feature unlocked bootloader in Europe

We have some news for the community of people interested in unlockable/relockable bootloaders.

Jan

[Update: $199 ($100 Off) On Amazon] Deal Alert: Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX Just $230 ($70 Off) With Contract At Wirefly

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Deals, RAZR / RAZR MAXX, Verizon Wireless

As promised, the ultra-impressive DROID RAZR MAXX went on sale today, but for a premium price of $300 with a new two-year contract at Verizon. Not so, says Wirefly, who is charging just $230 for the thin-yet-juiced phone.

What's so special about the MAXX? It's nearly the same as the DROID RAZR, but with one major difference: it's nearly 2mm thicker (for a total thickness of a still-svelte 9mm) to accommodate a whopping 3,300 mAh battery (versus 1,780 in the non-MAXX version).

Definitely sounds like a winner, especially for power users and road warriors. Hit up the source link below to see the product page yourself or to order the phone.

Jan

Motorola Announces Q4 Earnings: Only 200k Tablets Shipped, $80m Loss

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Motorola, News

Assuming the Google/Motorola merger goes through, Google might want to rethink that whole hands-off approach to managing its new hardware company. According to Motorola's press release, the company saw a net loss of about $80 million, after $3.4 billion in revenue. It's not the worst loss in the world, but shareholders are never happy when they see red.

The tablet sales figures are bad, though. Motorola says in Q4 of 2011, it shipped 200,000 tablets. That is not a typo. Two hundred thousand tablets shipped. "Shipped," by the way, is corporate-speak for "sold to stores." This doesn't necessarily mean that customers bought all of those tablets.

Jan

Editorial: Android May Be Winning (Or Not Losing) Battles Against Apple In Court, But Don't Expect An End To The Lawsuits Any Time Soon

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Legal, News

Last Updated: January 27th, 2012

A recent Newsweek article has been making the rounds claiming, through an unnamed Apple "insider," that Apple has spent north of $100 million litigating its various grievances against HTC since late 2010. Verifying the accuracy of this number is pretty much impossible. But that doesn't really matter. It may just as well be $80 million, $150 million, or $300 million - the conclusion drawn would remain the same: Apple is spending quite a chunk of income on its growing lawsuit habit.

Apple currently has open suits against Motorola Mobility, Samsung Electronics, and HTC in the ITC (International Trade Commission), a number of US District Courts, and various other buildings in which judges are known to sit in ornate leather chairs for long periods of time around the world.

Jan

Motorola Motoluxe & Defy Mini Available Now For Pre-Order From Clove; Defy+ JCB Edition Also In Stock

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Motorola, News

Motorola recently announced two entry-level Android smartphones for the Chinese, European, and Latin American markets, the Defy Mini and the Motoluxe. Both devices are now available for pre-order on Clove, and they are expected to ship in late February/early March.

The Motoluxe is priced at £215 (£258 inc. VAT).

The Defy Mini is priced at £145.83 (£174.99 inc. VAT).

Additionally, Motorola have teamed up with UK-based construction manufacturer JCB to give the "rugged" Defy+ a makeover. The new "Defy+ JCB Edition" is similar, spec-wise, to the earlier Defy+ model, however it now comes cocooned in a "visco-elastic protective sleeve" to make it just a bit more rugged.