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Mar

Wi-Fi-Only Motorola XOOM May Be Hitting Staples Stores On April 3 [Update: Employee Training March 23]

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Rumors, XOOM

The latest in a string of rumors about the upcoming Wi-Fi-only version of the Motorola XOOM comes from the team at Droid Life, who say that the carrier-free model may be hitting Staples stores on or around April 3. The same folks are also now reporting another leak from Staples which shows that employees will get the slate in their hands to begin training on March 23.

This dates come from a tip offered up by a Staples insider. Take it as you wish, but this would be consistent with recent postings from UK site PC World, citing early April as the availability date for the UK market.

Mar

Motorola XOOM + Android 3.0 Review: Sweet As Honey

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Motorola, Reviews, Tablet Reviews, Verizon Wireless, XOOM

Last Updated: February 8th, 2012

The Motorola XOOM: Ever since it was first teased at D: Dive Into Mobile, the Android community hasn't been able to take its eyes off the tablet's dual-core processor, gorgeous 10.1-inch display, and - last but certainly not least - Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system.

Well now the device has officially gone on sale, and I've been ~~testing~~ falling in love with a review unit for the last few days. Typically, I end up hating devices that I adore at first blush, but the XOOM is an entirely different story - the device is far from perfect (where are the tablet apps?), but I have yet to find anything truly upsetting about it.

Mar

Today's iPad 2 News Could Shake Up Tablet Prices - But Not For The Reasons You Think

Posted by Will Shanklin in Android OS, Editorials, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

While we at Android Police don't exactly wait with bated breath to hear what Steve Jobs has to say at Apple announcements like the one for the iPad 2 today, we would be fooling ourselves to pretend that Apple products don't directly affect the market for Android devices. While an Android fan's first reaction to the latest iAnnouncement is often to (understandably) bash the smooth-talking fruit company from Cupertino, I believe that today's events could shake up the tablet market for the better.

The hardware of the iPad 2 is hardly a game-changer. They didn't upgrade their display from the first generation iPad (which always looked a little bit pixelated to me), though they did make it thinner and lighter.

Feb

Now That The Verizon XOOM Is Here, When Will We See That Wi-Fi-Only Model?

Posted by Will Shanklin in Editorials, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, XOOM

If you began drooling from the very first murmurs of a "Pure Google" tablet running Android 3.0 'Honeycomb', to the buzz at CES, through the anticipation building up to launch: your day has arrived and you likely now have a Motorola XOOM in your hands. Congratulations. Of course that would be the $800 Verizon Motorola XOOM that's in your hands. But what about that $600 Wi-Fi-only XOOM? Not only is it not in anyone's hands, but there has yet to be a confirmed release date either.

With nearly every Android phone capable of generating a wireless hotspot to share its data plan with a tablet, taking on the burden of yet another monthly data bill can seem like an unwelcomed guest to many users.

Feb

Sanjay Jha On Motorola XOOM Pricing: 3G Version Will Cost $799, WiFi-Only Model To Retail For $600

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless, XOOM

Told you so - the price of the XOOM will indeed be significantly less than $1,200 (at least according to Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha). In fact, if you decide to take the WiFi-only route, the tablet will cost just $600 - half of the price Best Buy put up (and subsequently took down). 3G connectivity will come with a $199 premium (jacking the price up to $799), though it's worth noting that the XOOM's radio will see an LTE upgrade sometime down the road.

Of course, there's probably one question on your mind: "How does this look next to Apple's pricing?" Well the cost of the WiFi-only model actually compares favorably - a 32 GB WiFi iPad costs $599, so the two tablets will be neck-to-neck.

Feb

Motorola XOOM $799 + 1 Month Data And $749 Off-Contract Thunderbolt Now Confirmed By Best Buy Circular

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in HTC, Motorola, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), XOOM

If one thing can put an end to rumors, it's the official Best Buy weekly ad - the one you get in print from the store. Unfortunately, this time, all the rumors turned out to be correct. Namely:

As rumored, Motorola XOOM is indeed going to cost $799 and will require a 1-month data package to unlock WiFi. February 24th remains the go-live date. Anyone still up for picking it up? Oh, and the same spelling errors are still present (/sigh).
HTC Thunderbolt's regular, off-contract price is also confirmed at $749.99, just like we told you yesterday. Bummer. 2-year contract price is still $249.99.

Dec

Motorola Gets Back Into The Low-End Android Game - First Pictures Of The Cliq 2 Leak Out

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in CLIQ 2, Motorola, News, T-Mobile

While Motorola's certainly got a few exciting devices in its pipeline - the dual-core Olympus and the Honeycomb tablet both look extremely intriguing - it looks like the company also plans to launch something considerably less high-end: the sequel to its first Android phone ever, the Cliq.

Cell Phone Signal was sent the above pictures of the Cliq 2, formerly known as the Begonia. As you can see, it features a relatively nondescript profile - not too bulky; not amazingly thin - as well as a honeycomb-like keyboard design. However, I wouldn't get my hopes up for Honeycomb on this phone if I were you - MOTOBLUR is clearly visible in the first two images, and Cell Phone Signal was also told that a January 19th release is likely, as is an official announcement at CES 2011.

Dec

Cowon Officially Reveals The 3.7" AMOLED D3 Plenue Media Player, Powered By Android

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Cowon, News

This announcement should warm up some cold, digital, audiophile hearts. Following the rumors, Korean digital audio player maker Cowon announced its latest creation - the D3 "Plenue," running Android 2.1. Following on from the renowned D2/D2+, Cowon's newest device bests its predecessors in just about every way.

Much like the S9 before it, the D3 places a capacitive AMOLED screen front and center, boasting an 800 x 480 resolution in a 3.7" panel.

The D3 also mirrors the S9's candybar format, ditching the somewhat outdated square-block design of the D2s. It will be available in 8, 16, and 32 GB variants.

Oct

[Updated] Winamp For Android Arrives To The Android Market, Features Lockscreen Widget (!), Whips Llama's Ass [Hands-On]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

Have I gotten a treat for you music lovers? Winamp, the very first good music player for Windows - and one I still use religiously to this day - hit the Android Marketplace today, largely unnoticed in the Androidosphere.

It's still in Beta, but after using it for 15 minutes, I was so impressed that I set it as my default player and uninstalled the others. Let me tell you why, in the order of importance.

Hands-On

Lockscreen widget - it works, and works really well. I don't know how they pulled it off exactly but it shows up on top of my actual lockscreen every time Winamp is playing and I turn on my screen.

Oct

System Info Widget Review + Giveaway Of 20 Copies. Is It The Geekiest Android Widget... Ever?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in App Reviews, Applications, Contests / Giveaways, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

This contest is now over. We have selected the winners - see if you are one of them towards the bottom of the page.

Ever wondered how much RAM is available on your phone? What about the internal storage space available? Or the precise signal strength? If you answered yes to any of these questions, System Info Widget may be the perfect widget for you and your inner geek.

The Review

What you're looking at above are the four widgets Jason Calhoun, the developer of the System Info Widget, gives you out of the gate. Of course, these can be customized in every which way, from the looks to the basic functions, so keep reading for a more in-depth look.