Motorola - 22/56 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

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.

Sep

Eric Schmidt Says Motorola Purchase Was For "More Than Just Patents" - It Was Also For Their "Amazing Products"

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Motorola, News

During his time on-stage at the Salesforce.com Dreamforce conference, Eric Schmidt (Chairman and former CEO) of Google said that the company's purchase of Motorola is about more than just patents, as has broadly been claimed.

We did it for more than just patents. We actually believe that the Motorola team has some amazing products coming....We're excited to have the product line, to use the Motorola brand, the product architecture, the engineers. These guys invested the RAZR. We know them well because they're Google Apps users....[We like] having at least one area where we can do integrated hardware and software. [via]

Does it make sense for Google to enter the hardware industry?

Sep

Irony Alert: Apple Says Samsung And Motorola Are "Anticompetitive" Because Of Their Patents

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Editorials, News, Off-Topic

Apple has a long history of being ironic, and not in the positive sense of the word. Their latest bout of ironic shenanigans: accusing Samsung and Motorola of being "anticompetitive." Frankly, this is such an outrageous accusation that I just don't know where to start with it.

First off, a little history: as Daily Tech points out, Steve Jobs famously said "We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas." What changed? Well... I don't like to get into the politics of Android vs. Apple, as I think Apple truly makes some great products, and have occasionally recommended them over alternate products.

Sep

Gingerbread Update Rolling Out To The Motorola Droid 2 Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Droid 2, News

It has been quite a while since we heard anything about the Gingerbread update for the original Motorola Droid 2 (not Global), but it looks like VZW and Moto finally finished it up and it has received the stamp of approval, as it's rolling out in OTA fashion as I type this.

Changelog:

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.

Aug

Over Two-Thirds Of Smartphones In The US Run Android Or iOS

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in News

A recent report from ComScore indicates that as of July 2011 82 million Americans own smartphones, with Android running on 41.8% of those devices, iOS on 27%, BlackBerry OS on 21.7%, Windows Phone on 5.7%, and Symbian on 1.9%.

The survey clearly indicates that significant gains have been made by Google and Apple at the expense of RIM, Microsoft, and Nokia.

Additionally, the survey also looked at the market share of hardware manufacturers and interestingly Samsung was well ahead of the rest with 25.5% market share. I nearly choked when I first saw this figure as just a month ago Samsung's market share in the US was at a measly 8%.

Aug

Droid Bionic Shows Up In Best Buy's System - In Stock September 7th, Ready For September 8th Release?

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Bionic, Motorola, News, Rumors, Verizon Wireless

Since Verizon still wouldn't officially give up the upcoming Droid Bionic's release date, all we've had to chew on so far were rumors of the September 8th release date here and there (the latter was then discredited as an unofficial account by VZW, so it really has no credibility anymore).

To throw another rumor into the fire, one that seems to corroborate all the previous rumors, today the folks at Droid Attic dug up what seems to be an image of Best Buy's internal system showing the Bionic in stock on September 7th. While that doesn't necessarily mean it will go on sale right away, the dates line up quite well for the perfect storm on the 8th.

Aug

Motorola Announces The Pro+, A Droid Pro-Style Handset With Security Features Galore

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Motorola, News

Today, Motorola announced its newest handset geared towards corporate types: the Pro+. This is yet another offering to fill the Blackberry-style void in the Android world, as it not only offers the same familiar form factor, but advanced security features akin to that of RIM's handsets -- like remote wipe, full data encryption, and password expiration.

The Pro+ packs a 1GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, and Android 2.3 under its 3.1-inch 480x640 Gorilla Glass display and full QWERTY keyboard, along with a 5MP rear shooter and 1600mAh battery.

The Pro+ will be available in Asia and Europe beginning in October, with no word on price or US availability at this time.

Aug

South Korean Government Urges Samsung And LG To Forsake Android: "We Cannot Go On Like This"

Posted by Liam Spradlin in LG, Motorola, News, Samsung

When news broke earlier this month that Google had agreed to buy Motorola Mobility, many members of the tech community immediately began wondering just what would come out of the deal. The Android manufacturers LG and Samsung lauded the decision, both proclaiming that they welcomed the acquisition and Google's commitment to defend Android's interests.

Evidently, however, the South Korean government has some concern about the purchase and has begun nudging Samsung and LG in an effort to bring them away from Android and toward a "coalition of other South Korean companies," intending to build a new mobile OS developed in South Korea.

Aug

Costco To Get DROID BIONIC With Dock, Battery, And Charger Bundle For Just $300?

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

Wow, this just might be the best deal we've posted in a while. Unfortunately, we're not 100% certain on the price, because the images we were tipped to don't exactly specify one. Still, based on the $300 mark we've been hearing, and Droid-forums' claim that their source says that's the number, we're starting to feel pretty confident in that figure.

If you look on the left hand side of that image, in the red area, you can see the text "Accessories Bonus Pack / $159.97 Retail Value / Includes Standard Dock / Vehicle Navigator Dock / Battery Dock and / Extra Battery." That's a lot of kit to bundle with a phone for just $300 on a new 2-year agreement!