Motorola - 21/56 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Sep

[Review] Motorola Photon 4G: A Worthy Device, Despite A Few Compromises

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Motorola, Photon 4G, Reviews, Sprint

A few months ago, I reviewed the Droid X2 and came away unimpressed. Performance was mediocre despite the powerful dual core Tegra 2 CPU, and more importantly, the PenTile display used by Motorola was a step up on paper and a huge step back in practice. Fast forward a few months and I've landed a Motorola Photon 4G (slightly behind schedule thanks to a few logistics issues, but better late than never!) I'm happy to report that despite seeming like it's almost the same device inside, it's quite a different beast this time around.

At A Glance

The specs:

Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) + NinjaBlur UI
1 GHz Tegra 2 (dual core) CPU
1 GB DDR2 RAM (twice the 512MB of RAM in the Droid X2)
4.3" qHD (960 x 540) PenTile display
World Phone - CDMA and GSM bands
4G (WiMax) support
8MP camera with dual LED flash, 720p video capture
VGA front-facing camera
16GB memory + microSD slot (empty out of the box)
HDMI Mirroring
Kickstand
802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi

The Good:

Smooth and responsive performance all around, including in the browser.

Sep

Motorola Droid Bionic Can Now Be Restored To Stock In Case Of A Brick

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Bionic, Development, Motorola, News

Did you recently do something horrible to your Droid Bionic? Tired of staring at that red Motorola logo? This freshly released recovery file will have your bionic running like new in no time.

Interestingly, Motorola has changed the recovery file format from the tried and true SBF file to the XML based FXZ file. There's isn't a huge difference between the new and old file format, but according to Brief Mobile's head honcho, Kenneth Pennington, FXZ is "more transparent and customizable." So there's that.

For the end user the process is the same as it's always been. The gist is:

install the Moto drivers
connect your Bionic to the PC
open RSD Lite
load the recovery file
flash.

Sep

Motorola Photon 4G Receiving A Small OTA Update With Improvements To Wi-Fi

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Motorola, News, Photon 4G, Sprint

Sprint's Motorola Photon 4G, one of our favorite devices on this network, is receiving a small over-the-air update that will bring it up to version 4.5.1A-1_SUN-154_6/45.2.7.MB855.Sprint.en.US. The only publicized fixes are related to Wi-Fi, with users over at Android Forums reporting improved performance.

As always, wait for the update to pop up or force the check by going to Settings > About phone > System updates.

Source: Sprint, Motorola

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

Motorola Droid R2-D2 Gingerbread Update Rolling Out Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Droid 2, News

Well, what do you know? Looks like Moto hasn't forgotten about the R2-D2 variant of the Droid 2 after all. We've seen the Gingerbread update come and go for the Droid 2 and Droid 2 Global, and now it's time for our little robot themed friend to join the party.

The update brings all of the same features and enhancements of the original Droid 2, and should be hitting devices starting today.

New Download Manager
App and Power Management Details
Multi-touch key-chording
Improved word selection copy functionality
New UI and color scheme
New dock icons
App groups
Improved security
Improved battery life while using Wi-Fi
Fixed issue that caused frequent data connection drops
Mobile Hotspot status is displayed accurately
Improved email application
Correct contact name is displayed when receiving SMS messages
Emoticons are displayed in messages
Forward SMS message conversations accurately
Notification LED will flash when new message is received
Access My Verizon without any force close errors
Compass calibration within Google Maps syncs accurately with your location
Geo-tagging features available for camera applications
Clock widget updates time correctly
Callback numbers now populate in Dialer app
GPS apps and programs no longer cause unnecessary device resets
Google Books is now preloaded
V CAST Apps is now preloaded
V CAST Media Manager is now preloaded
Blockbuster® movie rentals license remains active after download
Keypad backlight turns on in darker settings
Improvements in screen display no longer causes display screen to turn black
Fixed issue that caused factory resets when the device’s mobile number is changed
Fixed issue that caused device reset and a black display screen after over the air upgrades.

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

Droid Bionic Accessory Roundup: Extra Stuff To Help You Rule All Machines With Style

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Bionic, News

They say that a smartphone is only as good as its accessories, and if that's the case, then the Bionic must be among the best. (Okay, they don't really say that, but everyone loves extra stuff for their phone.)

We've taken a look at what Moto has to offer in way of extras for its new flagship, and decided to put together a list for those who may be new to Motorola devices, or perhaps Android in general.

HD Docking Station

We found out earlier today that this little baby would cost a cool $99, but it was unclear exactly what you get for your money.

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.

Sep

Motorola Droid 2 Global Gingerbread Update Rolling Out Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Droid 2 Global, News

Last week, Moto and VZW started pushing the Gingerbread update to the original Droid 2, and now its global counterpart is getting the same treatment. The update officially started rolling out in phases earlier today, bringing many new features along with it:

New download manager
App and power management details
Multi-touch key-chording
Improved word selection and copy functionality
New UI and color scheme (read: new Blur)
Updated dock icons
App grouping
Increased device and SD card security
Updated calendar
Improved email and messaging
New ActiveSync email policy

You can also expect improved stability, battery life, and connectivity, as well as new bundles apps (bloatware) like Google Books, Accuweather, Amazon MP3, Blockbuster, and Flash Player 10.2.

Sep

DROID Bionic Augmented Reality Scavenger Hunt Now In Session, Prizes Include Quadricopter, HDTV, Laptop, And Motorola XOOM

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Bionic, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: August 1st, 2012

The @DroidLanding Twitter account has awoken once more, this time with news of an ongoing DROID Bionic scavenger hunt:

In previous VZW Twitter contests, the @DroidLanding account would tweet out the coordinates of a hidden smartphone and participants would hurriedly scramble to the location lest someone claim the prize before them. With this latest scavenger hunt, however, VZW has upped the nerd factor and brought an augmented reality-based Android game into the mix:

The app lets users 'build' four virtual Bionics before sending them off to a nearby location. Then the app becomes a compass of sorts, guiding users to said location and, once they are within 100 yards of one of the four Bionics, instructing them to virtually 'grab' it and thus enter the sweepstakes.