10
Feb
image

The latest RAZR-looking, 5-row-keyboard-sliding, LTE-packing Droid incarnation - the Motorola Droid 4 - went live today on VZW.com and at Verizon Wireless stores nationwide. The Droid 4 is the first LTE-enabled device in the family which makes it much more appealing to those of you who have been shying away from Moto's iconic line due to data speed constraints.

image

The Droid 4's full specs include:

  • 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP4430 processor
  • 1GB of RAM
  • Android 2.3.5 (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgradable in the future)
  • 4-inch qHD "scratch-and-scrape resistant" display with Gorilla glass
  • 16GB internal memory, up to 32 GB microSD card supported
  • Full 5-row LED edge-lit laser-cut QWERTY keyboard
  • 8MP rear shooter with 1080p HD video capture
  • 1.3MP 720p HD front-facing camera
  • 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
  • 4G-LTE
  • 179g (6.31oz)
  • 2.8 (w) x 5.0 (h) x 0.5 (d) inches
  • CDMA 800, 1900 EVDO REV A/LTE B13 700
  • 1785 mAh battery
  • Talk time - 12.5 hours, standby time - 8.5 days

Compared to the Droid 3, this device is faster and better all around - it has a faster processor, supports faster data speeds over LTE, and doubles up on the RAM (1GB vs 512MB).

26
Jan
galaxy_nexus

Google's latest wunderphone, the Galaxy Nexus, normally runs a pricey $300 on contract when purchased through Verizon. Luckily, competition brings down prices - sometimes dramatically - and it's on sale now at Amazon for just $99.99 with free 2-day shipping for incoming Verizon customers (it's still $259.99 for those who are upgrading). Quite the discount, and 100 bones for  such a mind-blowing device is quite the steal indeed.

2012-01-26 14h15_44

In comparison, Wirefly is selling the GNexus for $230 for both new and upgrading customers. Thus, if you're heading to Verizon as a new customer, best to go through Amazon. Those looking to upgrade should head to Wirefly.

19
Jan
spectrum2

Just last week, LG revealed the Spectrum, an impressive new flagship phone for Verizon. A glance at the spec sheet showed some impressive numbers on paper, and we went hands-on during CES and came away impressed. The essential specs:

  • 4.5″ True HD IPS display (1280x720 at 329DPI), protected by Gorilla Glass
  • 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor
  • 8MP rear camera, shoots 1080p video, 1.3MP front camera
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 4GB of on-board storage, 16GB micro SD card pre-installed
  • 4G LTE
  • Android 2.3.5 (Android 4.0 update promised)
  • 1830mAh battery (optional 3000mAh extended battery available at launch)
  • Dimensions:  5.33″ x 2.71″ x .41″
  • Weight: 4.99 oz.
09
Jan
Garmin Smartphone Link

Garmin International, the world leader in satellite navigation, has announced Smartphone Link for Android, an app which allows your Android-powered device to communicate seamlessly with your nüvi via Bluetooth, enabling live traffic information, traffic cam images, weather info and fuel prices to be displayed quickly and easily.

Smartphone Link also allows your Garmin GPS to share "favorite" locations with your device, and can help forgetful users find their car in a  crowded parking lot.

Garmin Smartphone Link

Unfortunately, many of the services (read all features besides live weather) provided by Smartphone Link come at a price. Live traffic will run users $19.99/year, traffic cams and fuel prices will cost a cool $9.99/yr each, and Advanced Weather (which provides 5-day forecasts, severe weather alerts, and radar images) runs at $4.99/yr.

20
Dec
RIMGA0318_1306x979

I've been on a bit of a headphone kick lately, and have tried out a number of sets from various manufacturers. The only on-ear headphones I've tried during this time, though, have been AKG's K 830 BT's, the company's only high fidelity Bluetooth headphones. Bluetooth headphones remain a relatively young technology, and have been growing steadily as more and more computers and smartphones adopt the A2DP Bluetooth audio transmission standard.

RIMGA0326_1306x979

The 830 BT's are a very comfortable pair of headphones with some nicely designed (if plasticky) on-ear controls (track skip, volume, answer call, play/pause). But like all Bluetooth headphones, they suffer from diminished audio quality when compared to their corded counterparts, particularly at high volume and high frequencies.

20
Dec
RToshiba-Thrive_375x375
Last Updated: January 5th, 2012

Do you like connectivity? Well, today you're getting a chance to win what is probably the most connectable Android tablet around, the Toshiba Thrive. Our friends at Toshiba have graciously provided us with one, along with a Toshiba Wireless Keyboard for maximizing your tablet productivity.

This contest is now over. Here is our winner, selected at random:
  • Daniel James

Congratulations, you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

Everyone else - keep participating and stay tuned to Android Police so that you don't miss our upcoming giveaway announcements. You can follow AP on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and RSS.

19
Dec
image
Last Updated: December 20th, 2011

Update #1: The full flashable stock RUU (it's not rooted and will most likely wipe your data) has been leaked. It can be used by developers or users to roll back to stock 2.11.605.9. You can download it from our mirror here (MD5: 013cbdd3a9b28bc894631008fa2148e2).

Thanks, Garrett!

Update #2: This update breaks revolutionary at the moment, but a fix is on its way.

Thanks, Justin Case!

Update #3: Rooted and deodexed version is here.

The HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon is all set to receive an update to version 2.11.605.9 up from 2.11.605.5 that arrived in October. The OTA contains a new radio (1.48.00.0930w_3, 0.01.78.0916w_3) and a few fixes, listed below.

10
Nov
rsz_imga0104

People who constantly wear Bluetooth headsets annoy me. I'll admit it. Yep, it's probably pretentious, judgmental, and just kind of mean, but nonetheless, that's where I stand (see: this highly relevant video). I figure it's only fair warning for you, our readers, going into this review. So, when Samsung offered me a chance to spend some time with their latest high-end Bluetooth headset, the HM7000 (the product naming department was on vacation), I accepted with a good deal of hesitancy.

Overview

Samsung HM7000 Bluetooth Headset

  • Price: $100 (less on Amazon)
  • What is it? A Bluetooth headset - as you might have guessed.

09
Nov
hi-124-2
Last Updated: November 21st, 2011

What Is It?

SyncMate for Mac offers up a simple solution for multi-directional syncing of contacts, calendar, music, images, video, SMS messages, and more over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for Mac users. The Expert edition can handle basically anything you throw at it, including options for autosync, data encryption, and it even offers the ability to mount your device as a disk on your Mac. For more info on SyncMate, check out the official site. Not sure if SyncMate is exactly what you're looking for? No worries -- they offer a free version with limited functionality, so take it for a spin before entering.

08
Nov
image

Seemingly out of nowhere, a new wireless brand Republic Wireless, a division of Bandwidth.com, announced earlier this month that it would revolutionize and shake up the mobile industry by introducing a Hybrid Calling plan that costs only $19 a month. This plan has indeed gone live today over at RepublicWireless.com, together with the first and only mobile device the company is offering (for now) - the LG Optimus.

The low-cost offering is made possible thanks to heavy reliance on Wi-Fi data - Republic Wireless devices are designed to prioritize Wi-Fi networks, and certain measures have been put in place to make sure you don't hog an unfair share of the mobile network (powered by Sprint).